Accept My Love
by Angle1
Summary: What if you hate the one you were born to love? What if part of your soul refused to let you love? The struggle and fight to allow yourself to love is horrible. How do you accept it?
1. Through the Years

A/n I hope the week wasn't a long one. I'm glad to see my returning reviewers here. Hugs all around. I know most of you are thinking this is Aoshi's story….but it's not. I was having major trouble with Aoshi's story so to help, I wrote a small side story…Saitou's story. It won't be as long as the last two, but it is a bit important, so I decided to post it. This will give me ample more time to work on Aoshi's story, which has been giving me the worst writers block ever.

For any newcomers I just want to let you know that this is part 3 in a series. I highly recommend that you read the first two or you will be so lost, let me tell you.

This first chapter is a bit of a flashback through some main events in Saitou's past. Those who have read the last story know what I'm talking about. It then continues past Sano's story so don't get confused. This chapter is a hunk of information so please bear with it. Any questions you have I will be more than happy to answer.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kenshin or the work of Feehan.  
I give this chapter a PG-13 rating.

* * *

Japan 1848

Saitou knew the moment he spotted the pair on the shore that the news was grim. Kenshin stood tall, bundled against the wind and snow. His hair was in a top knot and he carried no less than three swords with him, all of different sizes. The man next to him, his Prince, also stood tall against the gusts of freezing wind and snow. Hiko was an imposing figure even at such a distance. He commanded respect and got it wherever he went. Saitou wondered if the sudden blizzard was the result of Prince Hiko's mood.

He had come as fast as he could. News traveled slowly, even among their own kind. However, Saitou made it home in a fraction of the time it would have taken a human. The small boat that cast off from the larger ship rocked from the waves; ice covered everything, making it all the more dangerous. He would have just taken to the air and flew, but it was hard in such weather, plus he had precious cargo with him. Humans, servants to Carpathian families. Trusted and loved members who were wounded and in extreme danger. Saitou swore he would see them to safety. As much as his personal life pressed him, his duty came first.

The boat made landfall, crunching on the slick stones. Saitou stepped from the boat and met Kenshin and Hiko. They greeted each other, clasping each on by the arm just below the elbow, a handshake shared by all hunters.

"I'm sorry I could not come sooner." Saitou said over the howl of the wind. Snow slapped him in the face, the cold sting was painful, but he ignored it.

"We understand, you had humans to look after." Hiko watched as the wounded were helped from the boat. "There are so many."

"Even as we hunt vampires, vampires and their human allies hunt us and ours. Many are dead, many more injured. I swore to find protection for these humans. They risked their lives protecting their Carpathian family."

"Do not worry my friend; we will help look after them. You must hurry back to your home." Hiko excused himself, moving effortlessly across the icy stones to help the humans.

Kenshin turned to Saitou, his amber eyes glowing death in the darkness. Kenshin was dressed as a samurai. It was far safer for others to think of him as wandering, elusive samurai, than for the immortal creature he really was.

"How is she?" Saitou asked, then wishing he had kept his mouth shut. As close as their kind was, it was difficult for him to be so personal. Especially with the younger male and his even younger adopted brother Sanosuke. He always thought it was below him to be prideful but he found it rather difficult to like the Samurai, who was swiftly gaining in power and strength with every year. Saitou was the most powerful swordsman in all Japan. But Kenshin was quickly gaining on him.

"Not good." Was all Kenshin said. His eyes turned from amber to an almost acid yellow. "Saitou, Yaso is dead."

…. . .

"Did you hear me Saitou?" Kenshin asked when he was silent. "I said your wife is dead. She died last night."

Of all the emotion Saitou thought he would feel. Panic wasn't what he expected. His heart hammered away, he felt the blood drain from his face. "Why didn't Hiko just tell me?" He demanded, eyes narrowing.

"Hiko and Tomoe just suffered another great loss, they miscarried their second pregnancy. His emotions are still very raw, you can't expect him to just come out and say your wife is dead. It's hard for him."

Saiotu felt his face pull into a cruel expression almost of its own accord. "If Yaso is dead, why should I be in such a hurry to get home?"

Kenshin fixed one of his deadly gazes upon the older Carpathian. "Because, she died in childbirth. The infant lived and is waiting for you."

… . .

Saitou didn't expect to be shocked yet again. But his heart pounded almost painfully in his chest as he ran through the forest of trees and snow. Kenshin, in his auburn wolf form, followed his silver gray wolf form. It was too far to dissolve into mist and travel there on the wind. It would take too much energy to keep together in the icy gusts. The same gusts of wind kept them from traveling on the wing. In the form of wolves was their best bet.

'_Yaso was not due for another month, how could this happen? Hiko said nothing about this.'_

'_Of course not.'_ Kenshin snapped as he jumped a fallen tree. _'She was ill Saitou; you know how sickly she was, even as a young child.'_ Kenshin waited for the other male to say something, but continued when Saitou didn't respond. _'She was in such desperate need, her body gave out and she went into labor early. We were only able to postpone the birth for a few days. But we do not have the same power as Aoshi, even together. She died an hour after giving birth last night. Saitou, it's a girl, and she is half Carpathian.'_

It was not the first time a half breed was conceived. And Saitou was pretty sure it wouldn't be the last. Males knew that human females could not be turned. They would lose their mind like a female vampire. They would have to be killed. But many males refused to give up, having children with favored human friends that they cared for. The resulting children were half Carpathian, but once old enough, were able to survive the change to full Carpathian. At first it seemed worth it to replenish the dying population. But an unforeseen side effect took place. Humans were mortals, and mortals died, and even though they were not true lifemates, they still had the same effect on the males on a smaller scale.

With Yaso, Saitou felt emotions anew. Not completely and clearly, but enough to give him hope. He saw in dull colors, not the straight black, white and grey. Now Saitou felt the horrible separation from his mate's death.

Mortals died. And some males couldn't handle their death, even though they were not true lifemates. Saitou thought he would be strong enough by far. He could handle Yaso's death. She was sickly; he knew that from the very start of her life. But now… now that she was gone… the drab colors would fade, as would the bit of feelings he had.

And that scared him.

It felt hopeless to continue.

Except…except for the child. He must care for his offspring. Perhaps she would keep him going until he found his true lifemate.

Spurred on with renewed hope, Saitou sprinted forward through the wind and blowing snow. It was as if some unseen force pushed him faster and faster until Kenshin could no longer keep up. He had to see the infant.

… . .

Saitou sprinted out of the trees, transforming back and racing up the stone pathway to his home. A large stone wall wrapped around his property protecting everyone on the inside from the harsh weather and invading humans. He muttered under his breath and the great wooden door swung open, revealing a massive garden and equally massive home.

… . .

Saitou expected to see many things when he opened to door. His dead wife…his servants. But nothing could have prepared him for what greeted him on the other side of the front door.

"Sanosuke." He stated as he struggled to calm his breathing.

The young Carpathian stood as if knowing he was on his way, no doubt Kenshin let him know. He was in a white jacket and pants, a red headband wrapped tightly around his head. His short brown hair stuck straight up in spikes. His face showed how troubled he was.

"Saitou, I'm sorry." The boy looked helpless. "We tried all we could…"

"Enough, where is the infant?" He demanded. He sent his power throughout the house, finding the child in his room. Sanosuke looked confused.

"But Yaso…"

"She's dead." Saitou snapped, surprised at the anger that flowed from inside him. "Useless now." He charged past the boy to his room, missing the stunned and enraged look Sano was wearing.

Saitou shoved open the double screen doors and paused in the doorway. An extremely tiny bundle lay in the center of his bed. The room smelled of blood and death. No doubt Yaso gave birth and died here. For some reason he felt rooted to the floor. He wanted to go in, but his fear and grief were just too much to bear. He felt ridiculous, afraid of a newborn child.

He took a breath, ignoring Sanosuke's cautious approach, and went in. Saitou stepped up to the bed and looked down. A tiny creature turned her large unfocused eyes in his direction. She had a head full of hair, and a cute slightly wrinkled face. Saitou felt his heart melt. With a half sigh, half sob, Saitou sat on the bed and scooped up the small bundle. She hardly weighed a thing in his arms, no bigger than the blanket she was wrapped up in. She was a gift, a precious gift Yaso left for him. He would always be thankful.

And yet….it was because of the child that his wife was gone. He should have been more careful, he knew Yaso wouldn't be able to handle a pregnancy with the current state of her health.

"Saitou." Sano said softly from the doorway.

"What?" He snapped over his shoulder as he slipped a finger in the child's hand. She clung instinctively, her grip was surprisingly strong.

"Yaso-"

"Yaso is dead! We do not speak of the dead."

"I know that Saitou!" the boy stalked into his room hands balled into fists.

"Then what is it you have to say to me?" Saitou said with deadly calm, his eyes narrowing to impossible yellow slits.

"I just can't believe you don't care that this woman, whom you've known from birth and have been married to for three years is dead."

"What will you have me do Sanosuke?!" Saitou jumped to his feet, startling the child. She started to fuss in his arms.

"You could have prevented it! You could have stayed home for once and helped her."

"There is a war going on Sanosuke…" The baby started to wiggle in his arms and he was unsure how to handle the fussing baby, he was afraid a wrong move would harm the delicate thing.

"You are not the only person around to fight Saitou. Let someone else do it for a while. You left, knowing Yaso was sick, knowing she was weak. You knew she wouldn't be able to handle the birth." The infant waved her tiny arms, upset at the yelling. She started to cry.

"I would have been back before she was due! The baby came early!" he said over her cries, which were swiftly becoming louder. The sound woke something in Saitou. Hearing his own child in distress. A wave of anger washed over him, he must end this.

"You are stubborn Saitou. You don't always have to prove yourself to the Prince." Sano started to pace, both males were getting edgy. "You had to have everything… didn't you Satiou… be a war hero…have a wife… a child…You don't care that Yaso gave up her life to give you what you wanted. Is that how you're going to treat your lifemate Saitou?! You are so selfish! You don't deserve that baby!" he pointed at the screaming child, now deep red in the face.

Saitou slapped his hand away with enough force to break it had he been human. "You bastard. Don't talk to me like you understand everything you stupid boy!"

"Don't call me boy! I'm almost six hundred years old."

"Yet you act like a fledgling!" The cries were getting to him and he turned to set the baby back on the bed.

"Don't just leave the child there... comfort her." Sano went to pick the baby up but Saitou swiftly set himself between him and the bed.

"Touch my child, and you will not live." He growled with a more animal than human voice.

"You are not fit to care for a child, savage monster!"

"Sano!" Kenshin shouted from the bedroom doorway.

"This child is the reason Yaso is dead, she is all there is left of her." He felt panic rising again. "I will not lose my chance."

"Are you such a weak Carpathian that you must rely on the love of a child to sustain you?" Sano spat at Saitou, "You disgust me. Be the male that you are for god's sake. You are not able to care of the baby right now… you need-"

"Do not tell me what I need, brat!" Saitou felt an anger that he had never felt before. It was like a deep burning that only grew with each moment until it felt like acid in his veins. It hurt, and enraged him.

Sanosuke was his target, he caused his pain.

Claws formed where nails had been and Saitou lunged, wanting to teach the boy with a swipe to the chest. But the calmer Carpathian saw the move and jumped away, landing lightly on the bed. Saitou gave a lion-like roar and gripped the bed. The large structure flipped easily. Surprised and very off guard, Sano had no reaction time and slammed into the wood floor, the bed nearly landed on top of him. Saitou was pleased to hear a resounding pop and knew that the boy dislocated or broke something.

A leap brought Saitou on the upturned bed were he crouched down like an animal and hissed at Sano. The boy lay there with the bedclothes gathered around him. Splintered wood lay about his form. His arm hung uselessly at his side, while his other arm held a bundle of bed clothes and a blanket. The child's cries turned to high pitched screams of pain and fear.

Realization hit him so hard he almost fell from his perch.

The infant was still on the bed.

… . .

Saitou ran.

He had to get far away before he hurt anyone.

The look of shock on Sanosuke's face, anger from Kenshin's face… and the stomach turning screams of a baby in pain and fear. He had harmed his child. Sano let himself take the force of the landing to protect the infant. The one person he hated most at that moment, saved the one thing he needed the most.

Fear and grief blinded him as he tore through the forest in his wolf form. Was he turning vampire, was this what it felt like? Such anger blinding you to everything else? When the trees thinned, Saitou found a clearing in the forest and stopped. His wolf form panted for air, his sides heaved painfully. The Carpathian transformed back to his human form and fell to his knees in the snow. The wind had stopped and large fat snowflakes drifted down in such a silence that Saitou could hardly stand it.

A sob broke the silence. Saitou felt tears falling from his face, staining the pure snow pink. He fell onto hands and knees letting the sobs rack his body. Yaso was gone…he left her, knowing she was weak. He almost killed his own child. A female child even. Sanosuke was right, he was selfish. He didn't want to lose his emotions again. Even though they were dull and nothing like true emotions, at least they were something. He was afraid of this anger spreading deep into his soul. He wanted the infant to help protect him even though he knew deep down he was not able to care for her. All hope was lost.

"Not lost my friend." A voice said in the darkness. Saitou didn't bother to hide the fact that he was crying as he lifted his teary eyes up to Hiko. His prince stood tall and proud in the snow. His face and eyes told of how upset he was at the turn of events. Having a lifemate, he would know the feeling of losing her… he had already lost two children. Saitou felt ashamed of himself. Out of the curtain of snow, Kenshin silently glided from the woods to stand a bit away from Hiko. His eyes glowed, hand resting on his Katana. His disapproval of his actions was obvious.

"Please." Saitou whispered, new tears burned hot trails down his face. "Kill me before I turn. For I know I must be dealt with before it's too late."

"You are not turning Saitou, my friend." Hiko took a few steps into the clearing. "These feelings of anger and sadness are normal." Saitou shook his head. "When Tomoe lost her first child…and now her second…" Hiko swallowed back his own emotions, not wanting to let the others feel it. "I was so angry. What kind of god would let something so horrible happen to a woman of such light? What kind of world is this that it would be so unfair to a woman so good? Time healed my anger… as time will heal yours."

"But, you have a lifemate to heal you." Saitou said, feeling sobs rise up again. "I…h-have nothing…" Nothing but empty feelings.

Hiko shook his head. "We are of the earth Saitou, she is our mother. The earth shall heal you. You must go to ground and let her remove this stain on your soul, to soothe this anger within you."

Go to ground. It was something Saitou did every morning. But this time, it felt like a prison sentence. He was afraid. "And the child?" who would care for the child?

"We will find a suitable foster home for her until you emerge and are healed." Hiko said.

Saitou nodded. It was for the best, best for the infant and best for him. Yet that didn't stop the waves of such pure sadness from washing over him. Saitou felt a wail grow inside of him. His grief was such that he could no longer hold it in. He howled in pain and sadness before falling back into sobs. The two males stood silently, letting their fellow hunter let out his pain. Saitou didn't care, Hiko was his Prince, and Kenshin had more honor than he himself had. But a movement caught his tear filled gaze.

Sanosuke.

He came out of the shadows like he was made of them. His left arm hung at an awkward angle, the left side of his face already black and blue from hitting the ground. He stood as still as the rest, not caring about his injuries, they would heal while he slept in the earth.

But for Saitou, it was the ultimate humiliation. For the one person who caused this trouble for him, to see him on his hands and knees, sobbing like a child. He didn't think he could reach a lower point in his life. He wanted to yell at the boy, to send him away. Not to look at him.. something. But all that came from him were sobs.

"H-how l-long will I b-be in the ground?" Saitou whispered. Hiko crouched down next to him and set a hand on his shoulder.

"Until your body and mind know that you are healed." He said. He did not know how long he would be there…a few days…weeks, it was all up to the earth when it would give Saitou up.

Saitou nodded. "Do it then." He grunted.

Hiko nodded and stepped back. A few words and a wave of his hand sent the earth heaving upward, cracking open until a gave sized hole opened up nearly ten feet deep. "Rest well my friend; know that we will look over you as we rest. Know that your child will have the best of care." Saitou stood and looked at all three males.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. He thought as he whispered his farewell to his prince alone and jumped into the hole. He blinked up at Hiko as he loomed down. He trusted this man, trusted that what he said was true. That he would get better. Saitou lay on the ground and slowed his breathing and heart until he breathed no more, until his heart stopped. He was sleeping the healing sleep of Carpathians. He was still aware of the world around him until he felt Hiko send him into an even deeper sleep, a sleep where he knew nothing, not the temperature, the creatures around him, or of the time that was passing.

… . .

8 months later.

… . .

There was a rumbling sound, like thunder from under the ground. Then suddenly the earth heaved upward in a shower of dirt and rock. A human form shot up from the ground and high into the early evening sky. Saitou shape-shifted in midair into the form of an owl and honed in on the home of his prince.

He had awakened.

There was still much sunlight to see by, even though the sun had already set. The air was warm and pleasant. Life was everywhere. Saitou could feel it, the pulse of the earth. He was unsure just how much time had past. It felt like late summer. Still warm in the day, yet cool at night. His first thought was to his child. Where was she? Who had cared for her all this time? But he knew that his first priority was to his Prince. He was to report back, let him know that he was awake and recuperated.

But was he? Saitou looked deep within himself and found mostly emptiness. There was still sadness, but it was not overwhelming. In hind-sight, Saitou felt almost foolish for being so upset at the death of his mortal wife. Deeper he looked and found that he still held a vast amount of anger. Anger at the world, at his wife for dying, at Sanosuke for the things that he said, and mostly anger at himself. It surprised Saitou, the amount of anger that he held within him. All his emotions were dull or gone altogether, but the anger was still sharp and painful. He turned and looked at the fading sunlight. Already the drab colors he had with Yaso were gone. All he saw was a melding of different shades of gray.

So it was done. Saitou refused to let Mother Nature command him. He wanted a small life line to hold on to for a few years; to help him last until his true lifemate was found. But his lifeline only lasted a fraction of what he wanted. And all he was left with was deep, burning anger and sorrow. Saitou pulled back his wings and dropped from the sky, shifting back to his human form as he landed. Prince Hiko was already waiting for him, having felt his rising. The pair stood there for almost a full minute. They watched each other as the dove gray sky faded into inky black.

"Are you well Saitou?" Hiko asked in a soft calm voice.

Saitou nodded. "I am my Prince. Though there is such anger inside of me. It is controlled, unlike before." He watched the Prince nod in approval, slowly moving forward and reaching out his hand. Saitou grasped the outstretched hand in welcome. "How long?"

"You've been healing for eight months Saitou." Truthfully Hiko thought he would be in the ground much longer.

Saitou nodded. He had thought as much. "What of my child?" The baby didn't even have a name. What had happened to her in the months that he was gone?

Hiko's calm face turned pained. "We sent her away. To the homeland to be cared for by a Carpathian couple."

Saitou felt his body pause, his mind freeze. His child was thousands of miles away? With strangers?

"She is safe." Hiko said, reading his thoughts. "The couple was childless, having lost many pregnancies. I know they are cherishing her like she is of their blood. We almost lost the infant Saitou."

Saitou turned away, unable to look at the soft understanding face of his Prince. Too many emotions showed in his eyes. Emotions that Saitou didn't wish to remember.

"She was slowly starving, nothing we did seemed to be of much help. Aoshi was able to keep her alive until she reached her new home. There, the combined souls of a lifemate couple willed her to live. And live she does." Hiko took a breath, watching for any signs that Saitou might have risen too early. There was little emotion in his narrow yellow eyes. Only anger, and something else, something so minute that Hiko couldn't really tell what it was. But it was controlled with expert skill.

Saitou knew it was for the best. At least his daughter would have a mother and a father to care for her. In the homeland, there were many more Carpathians there to help protect her. The danger had died down in the last hundred years, but there was still the threat of vampire hunters and other such foolish humans going after them. Not to mention real vampires. But he had confidence in his own people. No, it was better this way.

Better he forget about his child and wife.

… . .

18 years later

… . .

Saitou never was one for crowds. So why was he standing in a large room full of more Carpathians than he was likely to ever see gathered in one spot?

Camellia, his daughter. It was her coming of age ball. And every available Carpathian male seemed to be crammed into the Prince's ballroom. It was tradition that the Prince throw a party of sorts for every female when she turns eighteen to introduce her to the Carpathian world. Most find their lifemates during such gatherings. Females are not unclaimed for very long after they turn eighteen. Hiko and Tomoe made the trip to Romania weeks ago to help plan it. It had been the first of such a ball in hundreds of years. The Prince's lifemate, Tomoe, who was one of the last females, never had such a ball. Even though Camellia was only half Carpathian, they believed she would be able to become a lifemate to a male and make the change to full Carpathian without any trouble.

Saitou decided at the last minute that he would attend. Why? Because it was the most important day of his daughter's life. He had not seen her since that fateful day. The day he almost killed her.

He stood out of sight near the edge of the crowd and watched from the shadows. The ceremony was over, and the males eagerly pushed closer and closer to the young female. From the youngest fledgling, some younger that a hundred years, to desperate elders over six hundred. Each more handsome and powerful than the last. Saitou didn't know if he should feel proud, or disgusted. He wasn't sure if he could feel at all.

But looking at his daughter, he felt something. Something in his soul. Her adoptive parents named her Camellia, meaning Flower in Romanian. She was tall and long limbed like Saitou. But thankfully she inherited her mother's large dark eyes and soft pink lips. Her coal black, pin-straight hair was hip length and curled softly at the very ends. She was as exotic looking as any full blooded female. Her dress was elegant for the occasion, but simple, for her young age. She spoke softly in Romanian to the males that were slowly surrounding her.

Over an hour had past, the males all took their turns pressing in as close as they could to Camellia, but so far, no one claimed her. It seemed her lifemate had not attended. The poor child look frazzled and exhausted, but still composed and as beautiful as when the night started. Saitou though it best to go, but felt her eyes on him as soon as he stepped from the shadows. No matter how much he wanted to turn away, he couldn't.

The girl slowly stepped up to him, her eyes locked onto his in almost amazement. "Greetings, thank you for attending." She said softly in a shy voice. Saitou turned, catching her eyes with his intense yellow ones. Camellia lowered her eyes, her white gloved hands fumbling with each other. "I feel like I know you. I have been waiting for you to show yourself all night."

Saitou thought about turning and walking away from her, but he didn't have the heart. "You do know me Camellia." He said gently in Romanian. He saw her breath catch and heard her pulse speed up. "But not in the way you believe." He added quickly. He turned to face his daughter, throwing his black cloak over his shoulder. "I am not your lifemate."

"But this connection…?" The child knitted her delicate bows together in confusion.

"Tis not the connection between lifemates…but between parent and child." He watched as her confusion slowly melted away to shock and then joy.

"Father? You're my true father?" She reached out with her small hands and took his larger one in them. "I can not believe you are here. This is wonderful."

Her smile dazzled him, gave him a strange feeling of pride. This beautiful female was of his blood. Her touch flooded him with warmth and emotion as she shared her light with him. For that small amount of time, he shared her joy, and marveled at the dazzle of colors she was seeing. "So you know of me?" She was only half Carpathian. Could she subconsciously know that her adoptive parents were not her birth parents?

"Aye, I know of you. I was told at a young age that Mama and Papa were not my real parents." Her innocent eyes lifted to find his, looking for strength. "They told me of my mortal mother. How she was very sickly and did not survive my birth." Her voice faded away, almost as if she was afraid to speak of her.

Saitou reached out and tucked a loose curl of black hair behind her ear; his fingers brushed the large rope of gems that graced her pale neck. Such jewels were passed down from mother to daughter on such coming of age occasions. These jewels had to be thousands of years old. He was glad she had the opportunity to wear them. Perhaps they would be passed down to her daughter, or granddaughter. "I was unable to care for you." He said unnecessarily.

"I know Father. I understand. Please don't be upset. I was given wonderful parents. I was treated like they gave birth to me. I don't have any hatred or grief for what you had to do." Her eyes pleaded with him.

"I did not want to give you up. They did so without my knowing. But I am thankful, for you were raised in a normal Carpathian family. You were secure and loved. Something I am not sure I could have done." Not being able to feel real love for his child would have broken his heart, if he could only feel such grief. But it just angered him.

"I am sorry…about Mama… my real Mama." Camellia said softly, lowering her gaze and tipping her head down.

"Shhh." Saitou hushed softly as he placed a hand under her chin and tipped her face back up to his. He was aware of the other Carpathians watching them. Envy pored from the younger males, unable to control such an emotion; no doubt they thought she was to be claimed by him. He felt nervousness and fear from Hiko, Tomoe and Camellia's parents. Unsure of how he was reacting to meeting his daughter for the first time in over 18 years.

"None of that matters now. This is a day for celebration, not regret." Saitou forced a perfect smile, watching her smile return to her perfect face. "How does it feel to be officially an adult?"

Camellia bit at her lower lip as she looked out at the crowd of males. Many were milling around with family and friends they had not seen in years. Some had already left once they realized that she was not the one. "Feels like I'm being looked over for a cattle auction." She pouted only for a moment. "I was afraid….at first. I've never seen so many males…all pushing, trying to get at me."

Saitou nodded. "A part of being a female is knowing that you will be a precious commodity to these males. They all want you, all need you. But only one can have you. Your other half. It seems he was not here tonight."

"Do you think I've come too late?" Fear made her voice sharp and clipped. She had a right to be afraid. There was a cruel irony in that when a female does come only to find that her lifemate gave up the wait and died, or turned vampire. Females left alone in such a way are not alone for long. They are mated to a desperate male on the edge of turning. Even though they are not true lifemates, her light and love will save the male for a few hundred years more. Their union could result in much needed children. It was a fate that was not very pleasant; to be handed off to a male that was not the one. But it was necessary, no female can be wasted. Though, such a fate was very, very rare.

"I wouldn't worry Camellia; he could not have been able to make it. Travel is hard for us." The male could be in another country or over the ocean in the New World. "Make the most of your free time." Saitou offered another smile before tuning and fading back into the shadows.

… . .

One Hundred and Ten years later.

… . .

Tokio cracked open the door just enough for her blue-lavender eyes to peek out. Downstairs she could hear the soft weeping of her mother, the calm, deep voice of her father trying to comfort her. She didn't understand all that had happened. Only that it was something bad, and it upset Mother. Suddenly a form blocked her view of the hallway and Tokio stumbled back, startled. But it was only her twin brother Kenji. He motioned for her to be silent as he slipped into her room and took her place peeking out the door.

'_What's happened?'_ Tokio asked, using the metal path that only they as twin siblings shared. _'What's the matter with Mama?'_

'_Remember when Mama said that there was a baby inside of her, and that we were going to have a little brother or sister?' _

'_uh-huh, I remember.'_ The twins had been very excited at the thought of being older siblings.

'_I heard her cry out when the sun when down. I heard her say the baby was gone.'_ He strained to hear more of what was going downstairs, but his parents had fallen silent.

'_Where did the baby go?' _Tokio asked, not understanding why the baby would be gone.

"I think,…I think it died." Kenji whispered softly out loud. He turned away from the door and silently closed it. "We should go back to bed. Mama and Papa shouldn't need to worry about us."

Tokio let her fingers fumble the edge of her fuzzy dark purple pajamas. "Poor Mama, she must be very sad." The empathic child let tears form in her eyes and allowed them to fall as her brother pulled her to her bed and helped her climb under the blankets. She held tightly to her brother even as he turned to go back to his own room. "Stay with me." She pleased softly.

Kenji looked at Tokio over his shoulder, his eyes slightly narrowed. "You're not a little baby afraid of the dark are you? His sister shook her head silently, sniffling and rubbing the tears away. Kenji sighed, feeling her distress. He couldn't blame her; he didn't want to be alone too. "Okay move over." Kenji crawled under the covers next to his sister. Tokio found his hand and held it tightly.

"You're not going to go away, are you Kenji?"

"Don't be silly, I'm not going away. Hush and go to sleep." The boy wiggled until he was comfortable next to his sister and closed his eyes. "I hope you don't go anywhere either Tokio."

Outside the closed door, two dark figures stood in the shadows. Sanosuke leaned against the wall on one side of the bedroom door. His face was set in a mask of sadness. His Lifemate Megumi was in Kenshin's underground lair, helping Aoshi tend to Kaoru. _'Touching, the bond siblings have._' He said to the form that was leaning on the wall on the other side of the door.

Saitou sighed. _'They are too young to understand such a tragedy, but I'm amazed at how much they truly know…in their own way.'_ He watched Sano nod. For once, they placed their bickering aside. One of their own had died before it even drew its first breath. It was a grim reminder of how delicate their race really was. For a moment the two males stood outside the room until the two children inside were asleep. Saitou was astonished to find himself slightly emotional as they headed back down the stairs. The display of love the two five year olds had for each other, it was enough to make even Saitou pause at the bottom step to blink the tears away.

… . . Two Years Later. . …

"Stay in the shade you two. I'm going to grab a drink." Yahiko called over his shoulder. "Kenji…watch your sister." He watched as the seven year old boy nodded his head and waved him away. His sister sat next to him playing with some flowers that grew in the shade of the tree. The 23 year old shook his head and sighed as he headed back into the house. It was late afternoon, and very cloudy out, so it was little surprise for Yahiko to find Kenshin and Kaoru already awake and about.

"Hey Yahiko, how are the kids?" Kaoru asked, apparently knowing why he came in, for she set a glass of juice on the table for him.

"Good, a bit bored, but good." He sat and took up the glass.

"They are getting too old for child games now." Said Kenshin. "Right old friend?"

Yahiko turned to the kitchen side door and spotted Saitou. "Hey Saitou."

"Good evening Yahiko, Kenshin, Kaoru." He nodded to the three of them in turn and took a seat next to Yahiko. "The Prince thinks of leaving Japan for a while and visiting the home land."

Kenshin nodded. "I knew it would only be a matter of time. Now that Itsuko is almost twelve, he will be more willing to travel." His sister Tomoe and brother-in-law, Hiko, Prince of their people, were very protective of their one and only child. Travel, even with a child as old as she, was very dicey. "The vampires getting bolder over there?"

Saitou nodded. "And the vampire hunters. Many of our kind have had to relocate."

… . .

"Come on Kenji, just for a little while." Tokio pulled at her brother's blue gi. "It's boring sitting under this tree."

"No, You heard what father said." Kenji never lifted his eyes from the small electronic game he held in both hands.

"Papa said no sunlight. But look, the clouds are so thick." She pulled her face into a pout. "Please big brother."

Kenji's eyes slid away from the game screen and caught Tokio's pouting. "You'll get in trouble." He tried to mimic the stern voice of his father. "Besides, I don't want to run around. You know how tired sunlight makes me. I hate it."

"How can you hate sunlight?" Tokio could hardly believe her ears. "Sunlight is so beautiful, like golden rays of warmth. Everything glitters and sparkles in the sunlight."

Kenji lifted one eyebrow and shook his head. "You are a strange one, you know that?"

"Fine then I'll go myself." Tokio shot to her feet and darted out from under the tree.

"Tokio, wait!" Kenji reached out to grab his sister, but all he felt was air as she slipped past him. He got to his feet and stood at the edge of the shade and watched in horror as his sister ran out just as the clouds thinned out. Beautiful golden rays pushed through the gloom of the clouds. Tokio ran straight for a patch of sunlight. Her deep red hair glowed like fire in the sunlight. It shimmered and twinkled with life. Kenji felt his call of warning die on his lips. He was so stunned by the beauty.

"Tokio! Come back!" He finally called out. Small trails of white steam-like smoke curled up from her hair and Kenji knew he needed to go out there.

… . .

The Carpathians looked up when they heard Kenji's call. Yahiko cursed softly, jumping to his feet. "I bet Tokio ran off-" but his words were cut off when a scream of pain sliced though the air. Tokio. The scream continued as Kenji cried out for his father. Kenshin and Saitou instantly vanished, ignoring Kaoru's wail of fear. An instant later the males reappeared with the children in their arms.

"Oh my god!" Kaoru cried, spotting her daughter clutched tightly in Kenshin's arms. She had smoke coming off of her, her clothes were scorched and her skin was burned to an ugly brown. In some places on her face and arms, the skin was burned down to red, raw flesh. Strips of ruined flesh hung off the burns. Kaoru was afraid to touch her, for fear of causing her pain. The child only whimpered, telling Kaoru that Kenshin must be taking the pain for her.

Saitou set Kenji down on the table as Kenshin set his daughter on the table as well. "I'll contact Aoshi." Saitou said in a deep tone.

"Kenshin I'm so sorry. I just came in for a moment to get a drink." Yahiko watched as Kenji sat silent and still, not even fussing over the burns he had. Though not as bad as his sister's, they still looked painful.

"Children are notorious for getting in trouble the moment your back is turned. Do not blame yourself Yahiko." Kenshin said gently as he slowly removed the tattered and burned remains of Tokio's clothes until the child sat with nothing but her lime green underwear.

Saitou blinked out of his mental conversation with Aoshi and turned his yellow eyes to Kenshin. "Aoshi is on his way." He looked over at Kenji, who was trying to ignore his mother's fussing. "I thought you were supposed to be watching your sister?" His voice rumbled deep with anger. Kenji didn't respond, only glared up at Saitou as his mother removed his gi to search for more wounds. "You are not a child any longer, you should take some responsibilities."

"He didn't know better" Kaoru said with a warning tone and a piercing gaze that had Saitou take a step back. A black mist floated in the room, swirling higher and higher and grew solid. Aoshi didn't waist a single moment. He silently nudged Kenshin out of the way and set his hands on both of Tokio's shoulders. He grew transparent flowed into her body.

Saitou paced in the kitchen. He didn't know why he was so angry. He shouldn't be surprised, anger and pain was all the emotion he was left with, but such anger at a child? It only took Aoshi a few minutes to shed the dead skin from Tokio and replace it with new skin. He quickly flowed back into his body and rested a hand on her head. New clothes instantly appeared on her body.

"The burns weren't bad. They didn't go deep." He said in a cool, soft voice. He moved over to Kenji and didn't even bother to heal from the inside out. The burns were only slight, more like a bad sun burn. Aoshi just removed any dead skin and covered any raw area with new skin.

"They should have known better than to play in sunlight, as weak as it is right now." Already the sun had set and night was coming.

"They had to learn at some point." Aoshi didn't even look up at Saitou. "All Carpathians remember the day we learned that the sun burned us."

Saitou held his tongue. He did remember the scorching he received as a child when he ran out to play and suddenly realized he was no longer able to take the suns rays.

"W-what does this mean now?" Tokio asked in a soft, shy voice. She didn't dare look at Aoshi. He was dark, and his face was a mask. He scared her.

"No more sunlight. You and your bother are starting to grow into adults. Sunlight will harm you now." Aoshi answered truthfully.

Tokio looked as if she might start crying all over again. "No more sun? But I love the sun. It isn't fair!"

"Tokio" Kaoru said softly moving over to embrace her daughter. "After a few years your power will grow and you will be able to once again stand in the sunlight for a while."

"When?" The child asked hopefully.

"Many, many years." Saitou answered.

"She won't want to wait that long." Kenji said. All eyes turned to him. It was his first time he had spoken.

"Well she is going to have to wait. And hopefully this time you will be a better, more watchful brother." Saitou snapped.

"Don't yell at Kenji!" Tokio cried out. "He tried to stop me but I wanted to go into the sun. None of this is his fault! Stop being so mean!"

"Tokio!" Kaoru scolded. "You are not to yell at your elders.

Kenji burned red with embarrassment. It was bad enough to be scolded, but it was worse having his little sister stick up for him. Ashamed, Kenji jumped from the table and darted out of the kitchen and up the stairs to his room.

"He'll understand in time. Being a Carpathian male is full of responsibilities." Kenshin said softly to Kaoru as she wrung her hands in unrest. "He must learn somehow."

"Well what about me!" Tokio asked. "Don't I get in trouble for being the one who did a bad thing. Why is Kenji always in trouble." She turned her near glowing eyes to Saitou "You always make him feel bad. I hate you." With that she jumped from the table and followed Kenji's steps. She found him in his room and she slammed the door behind her. Kenji sat in the center of the room with his legs drawn up and his chin resting on his knees. Tokio sat behind him, pressing her back against his and drawing her legs up in the same way.

"I hate him." Kenji mumbled, fighting tears. Yet Tokio could feel his shame.

"I hate him too." Tokio agreed. "And I hate having to grow up."

"Next time, don't leave me." Kenji said softly reaching back with one hand.

Tokio had felt his fear when she darted out into the sun, but she thought he was just a worry-wart. She forgot what all the grown-ups expected from him. And he was afraid for her. She slid her hand back behind her and took his hand. "I'm never leaving your side again Kenji… never ever."

* * *

A/n Wow I think that was one of the longest chapters I have ever posted. I hope it wasn't too confusing. If you have any question, go ahead and ask :) I'll update soon, don't worry. These chapters are pretty long so expect a few weeks in between chapters. Anyways! Thank you so much for joining me on another round of Carpathian fun. Reviews are loved!


	2. My, How they Grow

A/N Okay, so sorry for the late update. My laptop is sick and is in the shop. I don't know yet if it can be saved. The good thing is, I was able to back up my files into an external hard drive. (remember writers…always back up your work every few weeks.) So I didn't lose much work when it crapped out. Until then, I'm stuck using the Desk top in the front room. It's nearly impossible to write in there with my family playing Rock Band and Guitar Hero three feet from where I'm trying to write. So my updates my take a little while. But at least you know I'm not giving up on the story. Hehe

I'm glad to see some of you that reviewed my oneshot "Midnight Phone Call" It did so well and their's so many asking to continue it, that I'm thinking of making it a multi-chapter. But I want it to have the same emotion as the first chapter so I'm REALLY taking my time on it. But thank you to all those that reviewed it.

P.S. I'm addicted to Fable 2...someone save me!

Disclaimer, I don't own Kenshin or the work of Feehan

I give this chapter a PG-13 rating for swearing.

* * *

Saitou stood in a shadowy corner watching young people mill about. No one noticed him; no one would see him unless he wanted them to. The buildings around him each pounded out a different beat. Night clubs, bars, and far worse places took root here. This was not his normal stomping grounds. He caught a scent on the air. Someone he knew rather well. Yahiko.

Saitou started off, stepping onto the sidewalk and finding Yahiko with ease. The man sat out in the open on a bench, reading a newspaper. Yahiko was a married man now with one child and a second on the way. He seemed out of place in an area filled with pink haired girls and boys with spikes everywhere. He casually made his way over to his friend. No one dared to bother him, people hurried to get out of his way as he walked by. He sat next to the man and looked over at him. Yahiko kept reading the paper.

"A married man of your age should not let himself be seen in this part of town. Likewise I myself do not like to spend much time here. Save to get an easy meal."

"I may be almost 35 years old, but I think I still got what it takes to "Hang" with these kids." Yahiko lowered the paper and flashed a smile at Saitou.

"What did you call me here for, old friend?"

Yahiko winced. "You know, there was I time I hated being called a kid…but I think old friend is worse." He leafed though the paper for a moment as a pair of giggling young women on cell phones walked by. "I thought you would like to know, I followed the trouble twins in there." He nodded with his head in the direction of a large brick building. A sign over the door read The After Life in drab yet wicked looking red and purple script. A line of people wrapped around the building waiting to get in.

"A rave club?" Saitou knew Tokio and Kenji liked to frequent the numerous clubs in the city, but a rave club? "They shouldn't be in there."

"I know. I just happened to overhear their plans tonight and followed them. It was rather easy. I didn't want to upset Kenshin or Kaoru. I don't know how they would take it. I thought I would let you know, maybe you can talk to them." Yahiko folded the newspaper. "Hey, did you hear about that kid who got murdered?" Yahiko pointed to the front page. Saitou shot him a look and Yahiko cleared his throat. "Right… off subject. Well I got to get home before I'm the one getting yelled at. See ya later Saitou."

Saitou only bowed his head slightly and watched as the man stood and silently vanished in the shadows of the buildings. Being around Carpathians so much must have rubbed off on Yahiko. He displayed many of their stealth skills and it was difficult at fist glance to be able to tell if he was human or not.

Saitou cleared his thoughts. If the young Carpathians were in the club, he was going to have to go in there and get them. Saitou made himself invisible to humans as he stalked the shadows, keeping close to the buildings as he made his way to the club. He passed the line of strangely dressed people and ignored the bouncers as he slipped in undetected. He had never been in such clubs and was unprepared for the onslaught to his senses. The building was packed with humans. The mass of smells was just so overwhelming; Saitou had to take a moment to ignore the attack of scents. Music blared loudly, yet clear. A massive beat made the floor tremble like a giant heart beat. A second faster, more flowing beat sounded like blood rushing in his ears. It was as if he were inside a giant living thing. Masses of humans moved in unison; pressing together and flowing like tall grass in the wind. Laser lights of green and red shot out from one end of the building and seemed to bounce off the walls to every corner. Man-made smoke made the floor hazy and mystical.

Saitou took a moment to scan the room of humans. Glow sticks and all manner of blinking lights almost hypnotized him. No wonder this place was a trap for young humans. It was like walking in a dream world where no one cared about anything but the beat. Suddenly he caught the scent of not one… not two… but three Carpathians. He couldn't see them, but he knew just where they were. Saitou took a small set of steps down to the main dance floor. The dancing humans parted ahead of him, even though none noticed him. He was dark power, a hunter, and they subconsciously made room for him to pass unmolested.

Finally he found his way to one side of the dance floor and his breath caught in his throat. Tokio stood dancing in perfect rhythm to the pounding music. She was dressed in shiny black, tight, latex looking pants. Her top was blood red; the sleeves were long and flared out at the cuffs and the blouse cut off just over her belly button. Her long deep red hair was weaved into countless braids and ponytails. No less than five necklaces and a dozen bracelets graced her. She wore sky blue lipstick and blue earrings blinked on and off on her earlobes. Her whole body was covered in glitter. She nearly shimmered in the flashing lights. Saitou stood rooted to the floor as life around him seemed to fade away. Tokio had two blue glow sticks on strings, one in each hand. She waved them around in perfect unison to the music, weaving a pattern in the air that only other Carpathians could follow. The strange pattern of light spoke of joy, sadness, and youthful abandon. Saitou nearly stumbled when a human bumped into him. He had never been so disoriented. So much color.

Dancing beside her was another woman, Itsuko, daughter of his Prince. Saitou blinked out of his stupor and stalked over to the pair. The women felt him before he reached them. They paused and turned their eyes to him. Itsuko wore a short latex skirt and a hot pink top that covered only her breasts and little else. She was also covered in glitter and blinking jewelry. She had on black high heels with leather straps that wrapped up her calves and stopped at the knee. Her hair jet black hair was striped with shocking blonde and thin strips of pink divided every block of blonde. Her hair hung free nearly to the back of her thighs. She had Hiko's height, emphasized by the heels she wore. She was nearly as tall as Saitou, and was all legs.

Both young females were exotic, alluring, a living dream. All humans near them had eyes only for them. Both males and females were captivated by their light and beauty. Saitou found it hard not to gaze at them in the same way. The women held still, looking around as if trying to find a way out of the mass of humans, but Saitou held them with his gaze. Once he reached them, he planted his feet wide and crossed his arms.

"You're fathers would kill you if they saw you right now." He said, his voice flat. Yet on the inside he was a pot boiling over.

"Saitou what are you doing here?" Tokio asked. Her glow sticks dangled lifeless from the straps on her wrists.

"Yeah, how did you get in here? That outfit is so not cool enough to get past the front door." Itsuko said with a smile.

"I hardly need permission from an overgrown human. I go where I please." Saitou growled. "What are you doing here?" His eyes burned holes though the females as he scolded them. "This is not a place for young females. It's a disgrace."

"Aww, lighten up Saitou." Itsuko relaxed, letting her body move to the music. "I'm twenty-four. Not young at all."

Saitou scoffed and turned his eyes to Tokio. "Where is your good-for-nothing brother?"

"You leave him alone Saitou. He's right there." Tokio pointed to her left. "He's having fun, for once. Don't bother him."

Saitou tried to ignore her but it was impossible. Instead, he turned his eyes to where she was pointing. When he spotted the male, Saitou nearly gasped.

Kenji lounged back in a chair; he had the same latex type pants as his twin sister, as well as the same color shirt. Except his shirt was skin tight. The sleeves had no flair; instead the wrist cuffs were tight. The shirt looked like it had been sliced open. Most of Kenji's chest was exposed, nearly down to his stomach. Chains and other necklaces draped from his neck to hang on his bare chest. His boots were clunky black leather that reached his knees and had many buckles, the top half of them were left undone. His bright, blood red hair was pulled back, held in a ponytail by a leather strap at the nape of his neck and let the rest hang down his back. It was nearly as long as his sister's hair.

No less than half a dozen young human females clutched at him. Each one was trying for his attention. But his bright purple eyes were glaring at Saitou, just as he was glaring at him. Kenji was a statue, he held perfectly still as the girls jabbered on around him. He turned his head, keeping his eyes on Saitou as he spoke to the girls. He then stood and made his way to his sister. He was only slightly taller than his sister, giving him the same height as his father, Kenshin. His boots gave him an extra inch over Tokio's head, but still more than a head shorter than Saitou.

"What do you want?" Kenji muttered as he took his sister's side.

Tokio looked up at Kenji. She was worried for her brother. He tried to act tough, but Saitou had become so skilled in giving him tongue lashings. Kenji was often left an angry, shamed shell of himself.

'_Please don't press his buttons Ken.'_ She said in his mind. They never shared blood with each other, but being twins, they had a connection with each other unlike any other Carpathian siblings.

"As a male Carpathian, your top priority is to protect. Most of all to protect the females. Yet you allow your sister and cousin to come here?" Saitou started, swinging all his attention and intimidation on the young man. Tokio could almost feel the power rolling off Saitou, smothering her brother.

"Hey, I have my eyes on them. Besides, they're big girls; no one in this place can do any harm to them." Kenji snapped back. He tried to ignore the pressure of Saitou's power washing over him in waves.

"You are but a fledgling Kenji, a child Carpathian, and will be for some time. You have no idea the evil that is out there. Just because you started going out with your father to hunt down a few young vampires does not give you the right to be cocky. Nor the right to dress in such a way. Your mother would weep in shame if she could see you now." Saitou never raised his voice over the music or chatter of the humans. Never once did he show the anger crawling under his skin. Yet each one of the fledglings felt the impact of his anger.

Ouch, that was low. Tokio swung her eyes back to her brother. _'Don't listen to him Kenji, He's just being Saitou again. You know he can't help being an ass.'_

'_Hush little sister, I can fight my own battles. And watch that mouth._' He added as an afterthought. Kenji didn't let Saitou's words deflate him. He stood, legs wide and arms relaxed at his sides. He didn't let anyone see how much Saitou stung him. "Stop treating us as children Saitou."

"If you act like children, I treat you like children. All of you." Saitou caught both Tokio and Itsuko with his burning dark eyes. "You are the future of our race. The mothers of generations to come. Mothers don't look like this." He waved a hand at their outfits.

"We're not mothers yet Saitou!" Itsuko protested.

"Thank the gods." Saitou sighed. Even though it was very hard for their females to have children, they would be better off childless until they got their act together. "We're going home, all of us, right now." His tone told them they had better not argue with him. But as young people, they seem to live to disobey.

"No we're not." The look in Kensji's eyes and stance changed, he knew he was picking a fight.

Saitou swung his eyes full on to Kenji, his power flaring out. The females combated the anger instinctively with their own pure auras. Kenji pulled his sister behind him protectively. In the face of an angry male, Kenji knew he was no match for the elder, but he wasn't going to let Saitou push his sister around. The power rolling off of Saitou was like the heat of a fire, burning his skin and sucking up all the air from his lungs. He wanted to step back, acknowledge the more superior male, but his ego wouldn't let him.

Saitou didn't want to flex his powers. It was an immature action better left for fledglings. But there was always something about the twins that drove him to displaying his authority. He hoped they would comply with him, just once.

Tokio could feel the discomfort of her brother. The pain, anger and embarrassment. Saitou had belittled his ability to take care of her and Itsuko, and then had to throw his lack of powers in his face. She felt torn. Stand by her brother, or throw in the towel. She loved Kenji, but she also admired and understood Saitou.

"You are coming home!" Saitou ordered. The humans around them edged further and further away. Nothing looked amiss, but they didn't like the black feeling settling over their souls.

"Go to Hell Saitou!" Kenji shot back.

Tokio took one look at the fury in Saitou's eyes and decided she had better save her brother from killing himself. "Whoa, okay, okay." She stepped from behind Kenji and planted herself between the males. "Let's go home okay?" She looked from one to the other. "Okay?"

"Fine with me" Itsuko whispered. Though she acted tough, she was unnerved by the males.

A moment went by before Kenji relaxed his stance. He clenched his fists, upset at himself.

"Let's go." Saitou said through clenched teeth. He turned on his heel and stalked away. Itsuko immediately followed behind him. Tokio wrapped her arm around Kenji's arm and gently tugged at him to get him moving. She let her hand wiggle its way into his hand, forcing her brother to let go of his fists. They held hands as they walked out of the club.

Just like they use to as children.

… . .

"Keys."

Tokio looked at the open hand and lifted her eyes to the owner. Saitou demanded the keys to her car. "You're driving?"

"Of course I am. I saw you out of the club and I'm going to see you home." He snapped his fingers. "Keys." Too bad they were too young to transform and fly like their parents could. The three of them had been practicing, but still unable to master such an art. They were forced to use other means of transportation.

'_Give him the damn keys Tokio.'_ Kenji gripped her hand tightly, trying to control himself.

Sighing, Tokio pulled her keys from her tiny, sequence covered purse and slapped them in his hand.

"Thank you. Now get in."

'_Bastard.'_ Tokio grumbled as her and her brother climbed in the back seat. Itsuko sat in front with Saitou.

'_Watch your mouth.'_ Kenji warned as he buckled up.

'_How come you get to curse but I can't, huh?'_ her seat belt clicked into place just as Saitou pulled out into the dark street.

'_Females shouldn't use foul language. No sister of mine is going to use such unclean words.' _

'_Unclean?.... you sound like Aoshi.'_ He was trying too hard to be the mature male everyone expected him to be. But Tokio wasn't about to tell him that. She held his hand tightly and merged her mind with his to soothe the harsh words Saitou spat. They sat in tense, awkward silence. All too soon they reached Prince Hiko's home.

"Hey, I had a great time." She said over her shoulder to the twins.

"I know you are of age where humans are concerned. Reality is, you are still a fledgling Itsuko. You will have strength in time, but you must take care until then." Saitou warned as the girl climbed out of the car. Hiko and Tomoe took their daughter to the homeland for her coming of age ball. Declaring her eligible for a lifemate. Dozens of males showed up, but none was the one for her. Itsuko returned to Japan not as excited about being a lifemate as when she left. Saitou had a feeling she was relieved. She had a few more years to be on her own before a male would eventually find her.

"I know, I know." The young woman rolled her eyes before leaning down to peer into the back seat. "I'll be over tomorrow night kay Tokio?"

"Sure Itsuko." Tokio smiled. She was not going to let Sour Saitou put a damper on her plans.

"It'll be fun." Itsuko promised before closing the door. Saitou waited until he was sure Itsuko was in the house before driving off.

All three of them sat in silence. Yet Tokio was bombarded with such feelings. Violent anger from her bother, and disappointment and the same slow, deep burning anger from Saitou. Tokio was gifted with empathy, like most females of her kind. She was able to pick up and feel the feelings of those around her. Sometimes, she felt as if her gift was a curse. Harsh thoughts flashed in her mind, and she had urges to act out and strike someone.

... . .

Saitou pulled up to the house and waited for the gates to swing open. "I had better not catch you two anywhere near that side of town again." Saitou mumbled.

"We only went there to dance!" Kenji sputtered, outraged. "What's the harm in that? You know human drugs and alcohol has no affect on us. Why are you being such an ass about it?"

'_Ken.'_ Tokio hissed in protest.

"It's the principle of the matter. You two are far better than those humans. You do not herd yourself into a building to move about like sheep." Saitou was starting to sound like his father. He had almost forgotten receiving his own such speech hundreds of years ago. For different reasons, obviously, but strangely, much of the words never changed. He felt terrible for yelling at them, but they were the future of their race. They had to be molded to fit the lives of who they were going to replace. "In the homeland, Carpathians your age are not out having a good time Kenji. They are out hunting, protecting, always on the look out for the growing threat." He added as he pulled up into the property and parked the car.

"How many times do I haveta say it? We're not in the homeland!" Kenji threw open the door and slammed it.

Saitou followed in calm, but no less furious manor. Tokio scrambled to undo her seat belt and followed them. Saitou grabbed Kenji by the shoulder and spun him around.

"I know we are not in the homeland, you infant. But the danger here is just the same as there. Take some re-"

"Responsibility." Kenji finished for him, pushing his hand off his shoulder. "Tokio and I turned eighteen three nights ago, we have been of age for three nights. Give us a break Saitou, we're not going to die tomorrow."

"You could." He had no idea what was out there, the boy. Saitou could show him horrors that would have him clutching at his mother's skirts.

Kenji cocked his head to the side. "Yeah, well I hope so. So I don't have to listen to you!" Kenji spat and in an instant, was gone.

"Childish." Saitou let his body relaxed, not realizing just how much adrenalin was pumping in his system. What was it about them that made Saitou lose it?

"You should talk, look at yourself." Tokio snapped as she stalked past him. Her shoes made little noise on the grass. Unlike her bother, Tokio had yet to learn how to transport herself. She was forced to walk. Not that she cared much; just now she had Saitou following her. God she hated that man, why couldn't he just leave them alone. Every time he showed up, it was to say something nasty about them.

"I think you're parents have given you far too much leeway." Saitou growled behind her as they reached the side door.

Tokio felt something inside her snap and she whirled around on one foot. Surprised, Saitou had just enough time to stop before slamming into the young woman. He scared her, he had always scared her. With his narrow eyes and too tall body. But she was so angry, all those childhood fears of him vanished.

"Thank the gods I don't give a damn about what you think. Nothing is ever good enough for you Saitou." If he was shocked by her words, he didn't show it. His face was the same mask of arrogant darkness and it made her want to scream. "Face it Saitou, We're never gonna be good enough." She jabbed at her chest with her finger. "I'm happy about that. I'm not going to be a Carpathian robot for some male to program. No male is going to get me to play by "the rules." She turned to open the door but Saitou reached around her and took hold of the doorknob. He stepped closer, sandwiching Tokio against the door and himself. She felt his breath against her ear.

"One will."

Tokio felt her heart miss a few beats, only to start back at a racing speed. Heat rolled off of him, she could feel it pour into her whole body. She felt herself blush. Imagine, blushing because Saitou was whispering in her ear! Confused and still very upset, Tokio turned in the little space she had. Her hand swung out.

The sound of the slap was surprisingly loud in the darkness. Tokio jammed herself against the door. Saitou's head was turned just slightly from the force of her blow, yet his eyes stayed glued to her. His damn yellow eyes that glowed in the darkness. How she hated those eyes. She always found herself watching them, gazing, never wanting to look away from the mesmerizing sight. Even now, with him only a foot away from her, she couldn't rip herself away from his eyes. They burned in anger and something Tokio feared.

Suddenly the door behind her was wrenched open. Tokio yelped in surprise as she felt herself tumble back as her support was gone. Kenji caught his sister by the upper arm and kept her from falling. He shot Saitou a look of death before dragging his sister inside and slamming the door in his face.

… . .

'_You okay?'_ Kenji silently made their way through the house. It was quiet, their parents must be out.

'_Yeah. M'fine._' Tokio muttered. The rave clothes shimmered for a moment transforming into something more appropriate. Jeans, and a white poet blouse. Her hair was braided and all glitter and makeup vanished; leaving her looking more like a fifteen year old, rather than eighteen. Kenji followed her lead, turning his rave clothes into normal teen garb. Jeans, and a deep red long sleeved shirt that matched his hair.

'_What did he say to you Tokio?_' Kenji demanded. He felt her emotional upheaval, he knew the moment she hit him…but why? He had no clue. _'Tell me.'_ Kenji wanted any reason, any excuse to kill that bastard.

'_Nothing important.'_ Tokio insisted. It was very difficult to lie to her brother; indeed it was as if they were connected with the same mind. But Tokio truly believed what Saitou said was just rubbish to upset her. But why did it upset her so? Tokio knew there were worse things out there than having an overbearing lifemate. Was it because Saitou said it? Because he whispered it in her ear? His breath teasing her neck and suddenly making her feel far too alive. Tokio gave her head a mental shake. Eck… no. just thinking about Saitou in such a way felt so…so wrong.

She ignored the strange look her brother was giving her as she pounded up the stairs to her room. If Kenji knew what she was thinking about Saitou he would label her a betrayer and insist Saitou forced such thoughts on her. It would start trouble and the last thing Kenji needed with Saitou was more trouble. Once in her room, Tokio collapsed in the chair by her desk and forced her hands to rest on the smooth wood surface. Scattered all over the desk were papers full of her drawings for future projects. Normally, just looking at her ideas brought a feeling of calm over her. But right now they did nothing. Kenji followed her and sat on the floor and lounged back against her bed. He was eyeing her critically and Tokio fought the urge to squirm under his gaze.

'_I know you would tell me if something was wrong._' He gently pressed.

His experiment with compulsion was not lost on Tokio, she felt him trying to convince her to spill her guts. Suddenly there was a rush of anger out of no where, she wanted to shove him from her mind. Scream and yell for him to mind his own. The urge was nothing like Tokio and it startled her. The feeling faded almost as soon as it had flared.

"Of course I would Kenji. Right now I'm just upset. Our night out got cut short and we almost got Itsuko in trouble with the Prince." Tokio sighed, speaking out loud. There own private link was personal, deep, and right now Tokio wanted to be anything but.

Kenji shrugged. "She's a big girl. You know the Prince is soft when it comes to his only kid." He was not convinced this was what was bothering her. He was damn sure Saitou had said something to piss her off enough to make her this stressed. He felt the rush of power flow off of her as he tried to wiggle deeper in her mind, effectively blocking him. The thought of his sister blocking their connection disturbed Kenji. They had always a deep emotional, physical, as well as mental connection from the day they were born. Suddenly being without that seemed inconceivable to the young male. He knew it would happen sooner or later when someone would come to claim his sister and take her away to whatever life he had out there. But it had not happened yet, there was no reason for her to suddenly withdraw from him.

"I know, I still feel bad about it though." She sighed deeply. Damn that Saitou. She wasn't going to let a heated whisper in the dark mess up her good mood. This was their birthday week celebration before they left to the home land. Sighing, Tokio looked at the clock by her bed even though her internal instincts told her that it was hardly the middle of the night. It was far too early for her to go to bed. "I'm going to the shop." She pushed out of her chair and grabbed a random drawing from the desk. "I need to clear my head."

Kenji nodded silently as she walked past him and out of her room. The twin didn't bother following, he knew better. His sister most always wanted to be alone when she worked, and she always wanted to be alone when she worked to clear her mind. Kenji respected that and left his sister to her space.

… . .

Saitou didn't feel very comfortable walking up to Kenshin's home. The spat he had with the twins the night before hadn't been bad, but it was up there. He wanted to talk to Tokio before she left for the homelands. He didn't want her to leave with bad feelings for him. Why did he care? Saitou paused just outside the side door. Why did he care? Tokio was leaving in a few days and she very well may find her lifemate while in the homeland, it could be decades before he saw her again. He didn't want the last memories between them to be a fight. Saitou rested a hand on his check. The slap stung for hours longer than it should have.

The safeguards dropped to allow him inside and Saitou wasn't surprised to find Kenshin in the dinning room waiting for him as he stepped inside the house. Saitou didn't want to beat around the bush with the man.

"Where is Tokio, I need to talk to her." Saitou asked Kenshin as Kaoru greeted Sano and Megumi at the door. Funny how that brat always showed up when Saitou least wanted him to. "What's he doing here?"

Kenshin gave him a slightly confused look. "Megumi is researching for reasons why our females struggle to get pregnant. She's been talking often with Kaoru and Tomoe."

"Why does Sanosuke have to follow her around?" he grumbled, knowing very well why he followed her around. She was his lifemate and it was his right to do so. Saitou rubbed at his forehead. Why was he in such a bad mood? He was often curt, but hell…this was… this was different.

Again Kenshin eyed him. "She's upstairs with Itsuko. Did something happen?" He didn't press the question, he respected Saitou and it was obvious that he was having a problem.

It was this respect that Saitou found it difficult to look the ex-samurai in the eyes. "I may have been harsh with her and her brother last night while you were out. I wish to apologize to her. She did nothing to deserve such wrath."

"And Kenji?"

Sano snorted. "Kenji did everything to deserve it. That boy of yours…." He trailed off, refusing to insult the man's son right in front of him. But Kenshin only smiled.

"Kenji is like most his age. Suddenly considered a man yet is still a child."

Saitou's sour expression never changed as Kenshin excused himself to greet his best friend. The Carpathian turned and made his way up the steps to the second floor. He instantly felt the two females and pin-pointed what room they were occupying. Tokio's room. He slowed his pace and silently stepped to the open door. He paused just before reaching it and rested his back against the wall and eavesdropped on their conversation.

… . .

"So what's it like? In the homeland." Tokio asked. Itsuko sat on the bed beside the younger female, running a brush through her thick black-red hair. Tokio didn't think she would feel nervous, but suddenly, with hardly a few days left before they were scheduled to leave, Tokio felt herself getting edgy. She didn't know if it was because it would be the first time she traveled such a distance, or because suddenly she was going to be thrust into a world where there were more than six males in it. Most her life she only knew of six Carpathian men, all more powerful than the next. But in the homeland she was sure to meet dozens of men.

"Hmm." Itsuko paused for a moment to think. "It's way different from here. That's for sure. Slower…older." The young woman railed off as she continued to brush her cousin's hair.

"How so?" Tokio asked in curiosity.

"I don't know. It's hard to explain. It's very old fashioned. A blast from the past you might say. Men are men and women are submissive. Everything is old and charming."

Tokio stuck out her tongue. "Eck, submissive? What's so charming about that? I don't think I'll enjoy that very much."

"It's not so bad." Itsuko countered in a thoughtful voice. "The men are very chivalrous, not to mention hot." She added and the two girls shared a moment of giggles.

"Really?" Tokio knew very well that all of her people were pretty good lookers. She couldn't wait to get out there and see more of her kind.

"Obviously far better than the old fops we have here." Itsuko made a face of mock disgust a she quickly wove her cousin's hair into a braid.

"Oh, they aren't that bad; we're just used to them is all." Tokio fished out a blood red elastic band from her box of hair things and handed it to Itsuko over her shoulder. She couldn't help the thrill of excitement and fear that went through her. The idea of so many people, so many men. Just having the crew over was enough to overwhelm the young lady, now she was going to a place where there could be a hundred of them surrounding her.

"Yeah, I see your point." Itsuko finished with her hair and moved to face her cousin. "But all the men there are single, which adds to there hotness." Again the girls laughed like school children. "No really, the men there are so deprived; you think they'd never seen a girl before."

Tokio's smile froze on her face, suddenly realizing the reason behind this ball…her mission in life. "Well, from what dad says, many haven't seen a Carpathian woman other than their own mother. Some not even that." She paused, the next question stuck in her throat. "Where you afraid?"

"Afraid?"

"Of the men?" Tokio refused to meet Itsuko's eyes.

"Tokio are you scared?" Itsuko gasped in near disbelief. Her cousin shrugged a little before nodding. Itsuko went silent for a moment, her eyes showing that she was diving back into the past. "At first I wasn't. I was excited, happy. But when it came right down to it and I was put out there…it seemed like I was being sold."

"Sold?" Tokio asked, startled.

"Yeah, like… here is a fine female specimen, who wants her? them men all pressed closer…many reached out to touch me. Nice touches like taking my hand to kiss it or tucking my hair behind my ear and taking me by the elbow to guild me somewhere. There were so many hands, and I could see the disappointment in all their faces." It was the most horrible few moments of her life.

"Were you upset that you weren't the one to save one of them?" Tokio pressed, having never heard this side of the story before.

"At first I was, but now I'm a bit glad that I have my independence. Still, I ache for someone to bond with. Mother said it's natural when a Carpathian woman comes of age. The need to find our other half grows as it does for the males. But females can last far longer alone than males can, though they are not always happy." She shook her head, ridding it of the thoughts and turning a bright smile to Tokio. "But it was so worth the trip to see the homeland and hear our history. All the men there were painfully polite, even knowing I wasn't the one. They gladly took me around to teach me our past. They took me to the most beautiful places. Tokio you can't even imagine what it's like to walk in an ancient forest thick with mist, the moon full and four gorgeous, powerful men around you for protection. It was so archaic."

"It sound wonderful." Tikio sighed, her fears somewhat held at bay. Suddenly there was movement at the door and her far off dreamy look was instantly replaced by stark surprise. Saitou stood at her doorway, leaning one shoulder against the door frame and his arms clasped behind his back. A cigarette hung from his lips. Tokio wondered how she didn't smell the tobacco earlier.

"What do you want?" She snapped, jumping up from her bed. Tokio suddenly realized that Saitou had never been inside the personal space of her room and she found it completely unnerving to have him here now. She was suddenly aware of how childish and little girl-like her room seemed with Saitou's powerful form there.

"I heard you and your cousin talking." He started, his voice low and soft.

"Eavesdropper." Itsuko muttered, placing the hair brush back in Tokio's little box and snapping the lid over it.

The male cleared his throat.

"You will not go to the mountains." Saitou said, crossing his arms, expecting full compliance. He watched Tokio's face as she blinked in confusion then twist into that tell-tale teenage rebellion.

"Oh, so like, you're putting your foot down about me going to my homeland?" She snapped. Itsuko got off the bed and stood beside her. Her face was the same utter confusion as her cousin's.

"Yes, exactly."

"Well screw you Saitou. You're not my father, you're not even related to me." Now Tokio crossed her arms as she glared back in almost mirror image to Saitou.

Saitou's dangerous wolf eyes narrowed. "You will listen to me." he growled, stepping further into her room, flooding it with his masculine power.

"No, I will not listen to you. I don't have to." She argued back, ignoring the murderous glint in his eyes. With that she stomped out of the room. She thought about clipping Saitou with her shoulder on the way out, but knew she would be the one to get knocked around. So she just side stepped around him and stomped down the stairs. Itsuko followed silently at her heels. As soon as the bottom step came into view her father appeared and turned his face up to her.

"What is going on?"

Tokio sighed, it was nearly impossible to hide anything from her family, especially when they have excellent hearing and she was shouting as loud as she could at Saitou. She wished this once they would give her some space. Tokio tried to ignore her father, stomping past him and into the living room where four more sets of eyes turned in her direction. Tokio had to suppress a groan as Sano, Megumi and her mother gazed at her in curiosity. Kenji stood from where he was sitting by their mother, anger made his eyes glow.

"What did he say to you now Tokio?" Her brother asked. Tokio knew darn well that her brother knew what was said. She also knew that the adults would block out their argument out of curtsey. Her father moved to stand beside her. His gentle purple eyes were full of question and concern. It did little to ease the fire burning in her center. The tension in the room grew as Saitou entered the room.

"Tokio" Her brother pressed and sent her anger burning anew.

"He's banned me from going to Romania to have my ball." She blurted, pointing an accusing finger at Saitou, who looked indifferent.

"What right do you have to demand that Saitou?!" Kenji spat in a nasty tone. Saitou's head snapped around to his direction. His power flared like heat from an oven door. It startled Kenshin and Sano.

"I have every right." Saitou said, calmly though his body nearly trembled.

"Who the Hell do you think you are!?" Kenji roared. He was like a wild animal where as Saitou was tame, but no less wild. His younger body shook with anger, his developing power rising in fits and starts.

"Saitou?" Kaoru asked in a soft, unsure voice. She was uncomfortable with the suffocating tension between Saitou and her children. And she wasn't comfortable with the strange looks Sano and Kenshin were giving him.

He turned his glaring eyes on Tokio but spoke to Kenji. "I have every right to demand that she stay away from the homelands."

Now Sano stood. "Saitou you better explain yourself, because where I'm sitting I don't see how you have any right to tell her anything." he said in a threat-less tone, yet his hands clenched into fists.

"I have every right becauseI claim you as my lifemate. I belong to you. I offer my life for you. I give to you my protection, my allegiance; my heart, my soul, and my body. I take into my keeping the same that is yours. Your life, happiness, and welfare will be cherished and placed above my own for all time. You are my lifemate, bound to me for all eternity and always in my care."

* * *

A/n And here we go…cue the drama. You can almost taste the explosion that's coming…can't you? Oh, By the way…the music that inspired the Rave scene is called Sandstorm. I downloaded it CoughLimewireCough…I love music. Hehe. Anyways. Thanks for reading, reviews are loved!


	3. You Belong to Me!

a/n wow how was everyone's Christmas and new year? I hope everyone had a great holiday season. I was able to get my dead laptop to come back to life by some voodoo magic. So I hope I'll be able to write much more than I have been in the last few months. I'm sorry for leaving you cut off like that. Please don't kill me. Anyways, enough of me and more story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kenshin or the work of Feehan The lyrics in this chapter are from "Pretty little Rave Girl"

* * *

A horrible silence fell over the room as Tokio felt her soul melting together with Saitou's. As if some dark, ache she didn't know she had was suddenly gone; replaced by another ache...a deadly anger. But the feeling only lasted a moment before the shock wore off.

"You can't just claim me to get your way!" Tokio shouted, her voice shrill with panic.

"Damn right he can't!" Kenji agreed, stepping forward. But Sano thrust an arm out and stopped the young man. The room shifted ever so slightly, everyone pulled away from the newly formed couple.

"Dad? He can't do this, can he?" Tokio turned to her father, her eyes suddenly wide with fright. She willed her father to make it all better.

Everyone turned to Kenshin as he stood in silence for a moment. His large, gentle eyes narrowed slightly as he turned to Saitou. "How long have you known?"

"What?!" Tokio gasped. "You can't accept this!"

Saitou shrugged; his face relaxing somewhat. "Not until this every moment. I had regained the ability to see colors over the past year. But it was so subtle I had not noticed until not long ago. Then I became suspicious." But nothing reached the level of intensity of the colors he was seeing now. Under the bright light of the small chandelier over head , all the colors attacked his eyes; they glowed and shimmered, disorienting the male. He had to shut his eyes a moment as the room started to tip under the assault. Emotion bubbled up powerful and fast.

"I see, it was gradual." Kenshin said in a thoughtful tone.

Tokio's face was one of utter disbelief and she turned to the only other sanctuary.

"Mom!" she wailed throwing herself at her mother. Kaoru wrapped her arms around her daughter her worried and confused gaze darting to Kenshin then to Saitou and back to Kenshin.

"I refuse to accept this!" Kenji shouted, never flinching when Saitou turned on him.

"You don't have to accept it, you brat." Saitou wasn't surprised when the teen rose up to his full height. Kenji would have stepped up to Saitou had Sano not put his arm out to stop the foolish boy yet again. As raw as his emotions were right at that moment, he would rip the boy the shreds in front of everyone and not care.

Kenji only became more upset as Tokio struggled not to cry. "I'm not going to let you bully my sister, asshole!"

"Kenji!" Kenshin reprimanded, and then he softened his voice. "Saitou is right." Everyone in the room paused and turned to the red-head. Even Tokio stopped her weeping and turned her bloodstained face to her father. "Saitou couldn't have said the ritual words to Tokio had he done it out of spite. They wouldn't have worked unless she was truly his mate. And because we can all feel that their souls are now one, obviously it did work, therefore she is his mate and he has every right to claim her."

"No!" Tokio pushed away from Kaoru. "He has no right to claim me." She turned her furious eyes to Saitou. "None whatsoever!" Her screams were high pitched, bordering on hysterical.

Saitou lunged forward. This was not how he wanted this to play out. He never thought, not in his wildest dreams, did he ever think he would claim Tokio. As thrilled as he was to have her, he was angered by her refusal to accept. He grabbed the girl by the front of her clothes and jerked her against him until she was only a few inches from him. Sano now had to bodily restrain her twin. "Like it or not Tokio you are mine now." He wanted to take back the words as soon as he said them. Boiling hot anger poured off of her, most of it, no doubt, was from her brother. It burned at him. Saitou wanted to soothe away that anger, but he wasn't sure how. He wasn't sure he could calm himself, much less her.

She froze in his grip, lips pressed so tight they formed a straight line on her impish face. She was so…mad; so upset, no word could describe her lividness, and no name was obscene enough for her to throw at Saitou. Her anger was a tangible thing that everyone in the room was suffering from.

"I hate you." Her voice was calm, deadly. She spat right in his face and vanished. Her sudden and unexpected disappearing act startled the room and everyone took a step back.

"When did she learn to do that?" Itsuko laughed nervously; the giggled died on her lips as Saitou wiped the moisture from his face.

"Where is she?" His eyes turned to the boy who answered him with a rude hand gesture.

"Kenji Himura! I asked where is she!" he was about to pounce on the boy. His defiance had to end tonight. He was not going to allow the brat to influence his mate any longer.

But an iron hand wrapped around his arm just above his elbow. His head snapped around, preparing for a fight, but it was Kenshin, his eyes were still gentle, but the swirling violet had turned a shade darker as he looked at his son. Saitou forced himself to relax as he felt Tokio settle somewhere not far away.

"You were asked a question Kenji. You are expected to answer." Kenshin glared at the boy, suddenly feeling the ramifications of his defiance weighing on his shoulders. Kenji turned his blazing eyes to his father.

"Screw you and your expectations Old Man." The boy ignored his mother's gasp. He had never lashed out at his own parents before. But right now he was just as mad at his father as he was at Saitou… how could Kenshin let this rat take Tokio away like that, by force? He turned to Saitou. "Leave her alone." He warned. If he followed her into her shop, her one place, he would unleash a hell unlike anything he could imagine. With that warning still in the air, he vanished into a swirl of glittering mist that dissipated out of the house.

… . .

Tokio stormed back and forth around the small space of her shop. She wasn't allowed to be upset here. This was her creating space. All Carpathian females had some sort of special gift. Some sang, to use the gift of their voice. Some would sew, a weave their protection spells in there work. She knew of one female in America who made stained glass. The colorful patterns made the home calm, safe, and protected by evil. Megumi's gift was her obvious powerful healing. Her mother was still developing hers; she could listen to the earth, the trees, and the rocks. They spoke to her and she could speak back.

Tokio had inherited some of her mother's power, but it changed slightly. Tokio made jewelry with the gems and minerals of the earth. Each piece was weaved together with protection spells, spells to raise happiness and creativity. Spells of love, calmness and health. So naturally, this was the last place she could have such negative feelings. Tokio sighed and plopped down on her work stool and gazed around her shop. Letting her tools and materials drain away her anger. The windows of the shop were high, so that she wouldn't get caught in the sunlight if she happened to forget the time while working. One long table spanned the wall of one side of the shop. Each of her tools was carefully tucked away in its own little cubby hole built right into the wall above the table.

To the other side of shop, her welding tools. A blowtorch, its tank tucked safely in the corner. A small kiln-like oven, about the size of a microwave sat on its own stone pillar. The oven was used to melt and cast her own metals for her jewelry. Next to this was a row of plastic tubes running along the wall. In each tube was a rod of a different metal. Lead and copper, tin, and brass. There was gold of all different shades. The normal yellow gold, there was beautiful rose gold, white gold and even Black Hills gold from America .

There was rods of silver, platinum and titanium. The rods varied in thickness from that of a rope, to as thin as a pencil and as fine as human hair. Under the rows of tubes, close to the ground was a set of small drawers made of wood. In each one was more of the same metals in the form of coin sized slugs.

Tokio turned on the stool and gazed at the back wall. The back wall was completely covered in small drawers. Each little drawer had a clear plastic front so that she could see the contents inside. The wall was a rainbow of colors as there was a light in the wall behind the setup to light up the stones inside. Every stone a person could think of was in that wall. Every stone, in every cut, in various sizes of beads. Gems cut into squares, ovals, spheres, teardrops and doughnuts. They were carved into beads of various shapes, from the size of large coins to tiny seed beads.

There was red in the form of rubies, garnets, corals and jaspers. Blue sapphires, topaz, moonstones, and lapis lazuli. Purple quartz, amethyst and tanzanite. Yellow amber, tigers eye and citrine. Green in the form of jade, peridot, and emeralds. There was even black onyx and obsidian. There were jaspers, agates, topaz, opals and quarts in various rainbows of colors. There were strange oddities like green rubies, purple and black sapphires and pink garnets. Tokio had in her possession, diamonds of flawless quality, and in every color. Blue, green, brown and yellow. Even the rare pink, chocolate, and tea diamonds and the exceptionally rare red.

There were polished woods and bone that gleamed like gems. Some with fossils, the stone polished to show the tiny creature inside. And there were stones that were a rainbow of color in themselves. A swirl, a rainbow in every stone. Each one was like a tiny work of art in itself. And each and every stone held the power of the earth. each one contained a secret, a voice. And Tokio had the power to weave the voices together to create not only beautiful jewelry, but a companion for the person wearing it.

Just gazing at the colors of the earth calmed Tokio better than anyone could. Even her brother could not calm her as well as a handful of earth. She would not allow herself to think of Saitou, of her family or the fact that she was no longer a single young woman. That at the simple uttering of words, she was now married to Saitou. Instead, Tokio wandered over to the shelf and pegs that contained her projects. Many were commissions, people who had contacted her to create for them a work of art. She didn't take all requests. Those who wanted to look gaudy or rich, those whose voice came off as greedy or vain. She hand picked her clients based on their character and that of the person who the item was for.

She picked up what looked like a tangled web of gold chain. The links were so small they nearly vanished, fading together to look like glittering bands. The necklace was for a woman about to give birth to her fifth child. Her husband contacted Tokio about the project. He wanted it to have seven stones, one for each child and one for his wife and himself. Tokio had spent some time toying with ideas before starting the project. And because the woman was due to give birth in two months, she figured she had better start working on it. Tokio pushed away from the peg board and without looking, jabbed at a button on her stereo. a speaker in each corner of the room pulsed with a deep beat. Rave music flooded the work room and it washed away all thought from Tokio's mind. She was finally able to concentrate.

Normally she would have picked silver for a woman so young. Gold was more classy, and for the more mature woman. Silver was youthful and vibrant. But for some reason her hands had kept going to the gold links. She thought it better than to argue with her subconscious judgment. So far all she had was the web of tiny gold chain. All she had to do now was prepare the settings for where the stones would be placed. She sat at her desk with the chain in front of her, turned on her soldering iron and pulled out a thin gold rod around the size of a pencil lead. She pulled out a few more tools before she got to work molding and shaping the gold and fusing it to the chain.

The heat of the iron, the toxic smell of burning flux and her rhythmic workings of the metal slowly calmed her nerves. She was in her happy place and she wasn't sure if minutes, hours or days had past.

… . .

He was worried. He hated that. There wasn't much Saitou liked better than being in control. And the one thing he couldn't control, the whirl of emotions, was starting to spin wildly out of his power. Tokio had been gone for a few hours. Already the separation was taking a toll on his nerves. He wondered how Tokio was faring. Mostly likely a whole lot better than he was, he was sure of that. Saitou gave up waiting in Kenshin's kitchen for her to return on her own. He could feel her nearby, so he was going to go look for her himself. He wasted no time, honing in on her like a predatory being. He hardly had to go far from Kenshin's property before he found her tucked away in the forest. Her small work shed looked simple and boring. But Saitou found it hard to make himself open the door.

This was her place, a place where she performed her female gift of creating. He felt it wrong to intrude, as if he would be stepping on sacred ground. But his mind screamed for Tokio, not to mention his body as well. The tear between them hurt; her refusal of him hurt worse.

He hated that too.

But damn it she was his lifemate. She _had_ to love him; she just refused to accept it. Or her brother was making it damn hard for her to see reason. He squared his broad shoulders, tossed down his cigarette and opened the door. He was assaulted by a wave of noise, heat and the smells of her working, a few of them toxic. He worried for a moment about her health before he remembered that she was immune to all things toxic.

_I know this pretty little rave girl_

_I always think about her. _

Saitou cringed at the lyrics and took a single step in, a step as silent as any other. Yet even surrounded by her music, Tokio whirled around on her stool and glared at him. Her accusing eyes nailed his feet to the floor.

… . .

"What the hell are you doing here?" She didn't snap, like she wanted to. The question held an edge of fear and surprise. Saitou seemed to be at a loss for words and he gazed about her shop. She was glad that, for once, his attention wasn't focused on her. Then he pinned her down with his narrow eyes.

"You have been gone for hours, I was worried."

_When I see her dancing,_

_I want to take a chance and_

_Get a little closer and_

_Maybe get to know her._

"You don't belong here." She stated matter-of-factly as she punched the Stop button on her music player. Silence was a relief that lasted only a moment.

"I belong wherever you are." He insisted, quickly lowering his voice in the now silent workroom.

A part of Tokio was glad to see Saitou, her body sang out in a way that had her gripping her work table. Then again, another part of her wanted to attack him and throw him out of her workspace. She glared at him as he stalked further into the shop making a beeline for the back wall. Her mouth dropped open as he popped open one of the small drawers and pulled out a coin sized, teardrop cut diamond.

"This place has no safeguards on it, and some of this stuff looks real." He sneered as he rolled the stone between his thumb and forefinger. Tokio stood and snatched the stone from his fingers and placed it back in the drawer.

"Some of this stuff is real." _'Jerk'_ she watched his eyebrow twitch.

"There's not even a lock on the door!"

"This shop's been here for years, why suddenly are you so interested in it? Get out!" Tokio shouted back.

"I won't have you risk yourself and your work. You are my responsibility!" He slammed the little drawer closed before she did and grabbed her by the wrist. "This isn't safe."

Tokio yanked at her arm, knowing it was of no use to try and get away. His anger was like a geyser of steam that filled ever nook of the shop, scorching her. She wanted to soothe it away, and she didn't know why.

"I'm near father's territory." She said in a softer tone her eyelids sliding down, looking away.

It worked almost instantly. She felt Saitou relax. His anger flowed away from her mind and she wasn't burning anymore. "But it's not on your father's land, his safeguards are not covering it." His eyes cooled to a softer amber-like yellow. Tokio felt herself drawn to them. Quickly, she balked and mentally slapped herself. She was his lifemate now, everything about him she was going to find endearing and most likely attractive. It was difficult to even think with his searing hot grip on her wrist and the heat that rolled off his body was teasing her, making her blush.

"Kenji's are." She whispered, dropping her gaze to the floor, trying to pretend he wasn't there. His body was like a solid wall and she ached to touch him.

… . .

Her sudden timidness threw Saitou. All his anger flushed away leaving him feeling shaken and stupid for being so upset. This…this was the power of lifemates. He wanted to keep yelling, to shake her until she understood. He wanted to hold on to the anger that had been boiling in him for the past hundred years. Without it, he wasn't himself…

"Kenji isn't as powerful as your father. Kenshin should put his safeguards up, not your brother." He said carefully, expecting her wrath as she protected her bother. But she said nothing. Her cornflower eyes kept glued to the ground her head slightly turned away. At his angle he could see the gentle curve of her neck, every line of her shoulders as they disappeared under her blouse. It took all his concentration and discipline to not touch the slender column of her neck. To not press his lips and fangs against her impossibly smooth skin, to not taste her lifeblood as it flowed in her veins, calling him…begging him.

Saitou sucked in his breath through clenched teeth, shattering the lusty vision that grew in his mind. Tokio glanced up at him, worried, perhaps expecting some sort of attack?

… . .

"I…I know, Kenji tries to take care of me. I'm not good at setting my own safeguards yet." Why was she sounding so meek? Why couldn't she yell at him anymore and why was he looking at her like she was his last meal? Suddenly the workshop was small, way too small. His very presence there was overwhelming her. It was hard to breathe, hard to think straight when all she wanted to do was throw herself at him. Wasn't it just a while ago that she wanted to rip his eyes out? Eyes that where now liquid pools of heat swallowing her in. His hold on her wrist was no longer tight, she could pull away if she wanted to, but she didn't. His touch on her arm sent waves of heat through her whole body. With each stroke of his thumb over her pulse she lost more and more self control.

She reached deeper into herself for strength. She couldn't lose, she couldn't let this happen. It was unfair. It wasn't her fault she felt this way, being bonded made her weak. She would never be able to fight Saitou's power for long. Tokio grasped the image of Kenji in her mind. His thoughts were unclouded. Anger burned in him like a glowing ember. And her pleas were only making it burn stronger. She felt him change direction, coming closer to them.

'_It isn't fair; I can't help feeling this way.' _She said to herself.

'_It's natural Sweetheart. We are lifemates. Do you think this is easy for me?'_ Saitou's voice was deafening; nearly overpowering her concentration on her brother.

"Stay out of my head" she gasped. No one had ever been in her mind like that. No one but Kenji. It was too intrusive, too intimate. She quickly pictured a wall, a solid brick wall around herself, pushing Saitou back. Kenji flared in the back of her mind, lending her his strength and anger to further push Saitou out.

She heard Saitou growl. It was like a rumble that started deep in his chest and escape past his lips in a snarl. It was a frightening sound she had never heard from anyone before. But she was not afraid, not of Saitou. "Do not let your brother feed you his anger for me." He demanded, fully expecting her compliance. She forced herself to lock eyes with Saitou. They were back to the acid yellow she was use to, his mouth pulled in that familiar sneer. "He has no right to intrude."

… . .

That brat. Saitou could feel Kenji in her mind. Knowing all her secrets, all her feelings. Her brother knew things even he didn't know about his own lifemate. How she truly felt about him. Was she still upset that he claimed her? Or had the power of lifemates started to take over? He cursed to himself as Tokio's eyes darkened at his thoughts.

"Leave him alone. He's been with me all our life; he can't just suddenly let me go. And I don't want him to."

He turned his attention fully on her and watched as her eyes grew. "Kenji can't always be in your mind like he used to be. He's trespassing on my territory now. Imagine him there, knowing your every thought about me. Would you want him to know how I make you feel?" he let his hand slide from her wrist up her arm to wrap gently, possessively around her neck. He felt her pulse leap under his hand and he dropped his voice to a whisper, leaning closer to her. "The thoughts that go through your mind when I'm kissing you… you want him to know the details when we make love?" his lips brushed against her ear as he sent her images of what they would be doing; knowing her bother would catch them in her mind, he heard her breath catch. It was cruel but effective.

'No, no I don't want that.' Her mental voice trembled and he could feel the heat as her blood rose to flood her cheeks. Make love?...to Saitou? The thought seemed ridiculous, but a strange thrill shot from Tokio's head down to her very toes. What would it be like? Wrapped in his embrace, skin on skin, hearing him beg for her…someone so powerful weak against her natural female powers?

A deep rumbling came from Saitou's throat as he pulled her closer. A purr? _'You will soon find out Tokio'_ his voice whispered to her mind, sending her heated thoughts flaring anew.

'_Get away.' _Boomed a voice so suddenly that Saitou snapped his head away from her throat.

What was this? Saitou didn't let Tokio see the shock on his face. He quickly pulled that angry, narrowed eyed mask back on. Was that Kenji? Speaking to him through Tokio? It had to be. His voice was not on the common path, it came through on the same path as his lifemate.

'_Get out of her mind, Kenji. These are matters between us. It's rude.' _Saitou warned, watching Tokio's eyes grow with worry.

'_Shut up! I can talk to my sister all I want. Just because you can hear us now won't stop me. It's not our fault you decided to butt into our lives.' _

Saitou felt Kenji as soon as he touched the ground outside the shop. He looked up a half second before the boy kicked open the wooden door. Saitou was amused to see a scarlet blush also flooding the boy's face. "Kenji." Saitou greeted him as if nothing at all was wrong. He kept his hand curled possessively around Tokio's neck holding her to him.

"Sick Bastard." Kenji muttered. His lanky teenage body suddenly seemed to fill the doorway. "Get out of my sister's shop so I can kick your obscene ass." His words were slurred with a mixture of growls and snarls. The boy could not control his emotions.

Problem was Saitou was having a difficult time controlling his. He felt bad for teasing the boy but he had to learn why he needed to keep his distance from his sister. Plus, Tokio's sudden imagination was filling his mind with heated thoughts that left him yearning for her. "I'm not obscene; you just need to mind your own business. This is between mates."

But Kenji wasn't having any of that. He stormed into the room. Saitou shoved Tokio behind him as he turned to face him head on. His power flared out in warning, stopping the boy like a wall.

"Give..me..my..sister." Kenji spat out, his words clipped and hard with anger. Behind his lips his fangs started to grow. Tokio was torn. She was free from Saitou's grip; she wanted to run to her brother…only something deep inside her told her to stand close to Saitou. That this was dangerous and that Saitou would keep her safe.

Saitou's anger was controlled, honed in on his target so as to not effect his lifemate.

"She's mine now. No one will take her, and live."

"Then I guess I'll die trying!" Kenji snarled.

Alright, enough was enough. All this anger was infecting her workplace and no one was going to die here either. Tokio jumped from behind Saitou and planted herself between the males. She turned her back to her brother and faced Saitou's calm mask and glowing eyes.

"Stop it. You two need to get out of here before I need to rebuild a workshop. And Kenji, I'll kill you myself if you die in here."

"Move." Saitou commanded. One word in his nonchalant voice had Tokio backing up. Kenji reached out to pull her away but Saitou lunged forward and yanked Tokio away from his touch. Saitou used his momentum to push Kenji and the two males flew out of the shop and landed in a crouch outside.

This was nuts! She followed them outside. "Hey!" she called out, knowing her voice was falling on deaf ears. She didn't want anyone to get hurt. This was something stupid to fight about. She was about to throw herself between them again but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Stay out of the way." Her father said in a low tone. Kenshin kept his eyes on the males as they circled each other. "Fighting Carpathians are dangerous."

"But dad, this is stupid." She wanted to protect them both, not just one of them. Kenji's fangs had grown to fighting length. The tip of his fangs brushed against his chin as he hissed at Saitou. Her mate on the other hand had control of his fangs and his powers. He showed little aggression unlike her hissing and spitting brother.

Kenshin sighed, "I know. Let me deal with it." Kenshin stepped closer. "That's Enough!" he shouted. Kenji faltered in his step and tripped, breaking their fighting trance. Saitou backed down, retreating to stand closer to Tokio as Kenshin yanked his son back to his feet. "I'm shamed by you." He said to Kenji. "And I thought better of you." He threw at Saitou. "You're a full grown male, you should know better." Kenji shoved himself away from his father's grasp.

"You are coming with me." Kenshin stated in a tone that dared argument. Kenji looked about ready to argue, but the look in his father's eyes killed his protest. "And so are you." He turned his glowing yellow eyes to Tokio. "We have some talking to do."

Both siblings suddenly understood. _'Family meeting.' _Kenji wailed in his mind. Tokio had to agree.

'_Aw man.' _She whispered back to him. She glanced over at Saitou, who didn't look happy about the idea of relinquishing her. There looked to be a struggle going on behind that mask. Then it suddenly cleared away as he came to a conclusion.

'_Go.' _Saitou said simply. _'But I expect you to come home to me before dawn.' _He locked eyes with her. Arguing with him was not acceptable at all.

Tokio felt that same thrill shoot through her. she new better than to try him. She was afraid of Saitou, but deep down she wanted to know what this lifemate business had in store.

* * *

a/n Kenji's asking for a butt-kicking don't you think? I think so. And now Daddy Kenshin is a little but mad. I can't wait to see what he has in store for the twins…and if Tokio actually comes back to Saitou before dawn. Thanks for reading, reviews are loved.


	4. A Little Chat

A/n hi again everyone. Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. I seem to be having a lot of trouble with this series as of late. I'm not sure why. I've been working on a few other stories to give my mind a rest and I think I'm going to dive back into the Dark Series to try and get back into the mind frame.

I remember one of my reviewers asking what made Kaoru and Megumi so special that they could be turned into Carpathians when other humans could not. The answer is: Kaoru and Megumi are true psychics, Misao will be one too (But that's another story) This is why they were so sensitive to the evil of vampires and how Megumi knew Sano was special when she thought he was just a vampire, and how Kaoru was able to mentally talk to Kenshin when she was still human. I hope that isn't too confusing an answer.

Anyways, I hope everyone has a good Valentine's Day. Now on to the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kenshin or the work of Christine Feehan.

* * *

They took Kenji's black and silver sports car. Kenshin handled the car as it sped through the winding back country roads at a break-neck pace. Kenji and Tokio sat silently in the back seat. No one spoke a word. The radio's volume was down and Tokio concentrated on the soft beat of dance music that was sometimes drowned out by the car's engine. It was better than listening to the silence and hearing the boiling thoughts of her brother.

Tokio's eyes slid over to Kenji. He sat stiff, pressed against the other side of the car as if he was trying to put as much distance between them as he could. She felt pain deep in her soul; she wanted desperately to heal it. _'Kenji.'_ She whispered in his mind. He showed no signs of hearing her; his eyes glued out the window as the dark forest flew past. _'Are you mad at me?'_ Again there was no answer and she lowered her eyes to her lap. Perhaps she was trying too hard. Forgiving each other always came easy to them, perhaps with Saitou in the mix; it was a betrayal that Kenji couldn't look over, even for her sake.

'_No,'_ came his sudden reply, erasing her troubled thoughts. Tokio snapped her eyes back in his direction. He had not moved, nor had his expression changed. _'I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at Saitou. I'm mad that he's taking you away from me.' _

'_But Kenji, someone was going to take me away. You seemed just as excited as I was at the though of going to the homeland to have my ball and find a mate.' _Though she knew he was more excited at a chance to meet other males and maybe have some friends outside this strange family unit they had.

'_I know.'_ He paused. _'I was happy for you. Starting your life, have children. But not with Saitou. Anyone but Saitou. It's like he made this happen just to spite us. Just to piss me off.'_ Kenji's hands clenched and unclenched in his lap. He did not want images of his sister wrapped around that whoreson. Saitou hardly seemed to care about himself, how could he trust him with something as precious as his sister?

'_He didn't have a choice either Kenji. I'm sure I was the last person he wanted as a mate.'_ The idea hurt her. What did Saitou really think? Was he just as upset as she was? Did he curse his own luck like she did? Sudden guilt washed over her. How horrible he must have felt when she flatly refused their bonding right to his face. Tears prickled in her eyes. What if it was Saitou who refused her? How much it would have hurt her very soul.

'_Still.'_ He sighed mentally and with his eyes still watching the countryside, he reached out and took her hand. _'I'm sorry for making this hard for you. God knows you have enough to deal with right now.'_

She patted his hand and gave it a squeeze like she did as a child. _'It's alright. I understand your reasons.' _

For the first time in hours Kenji smiled. His teeth flashed brilliantly in the darkness, his dark lavender eyes slide over to catch her gaze. _'You understand me better than anyone Tokio.' _

'_Of course, we share part of the same soul._' She said matter-of-factly.

But Kenji shook his head. _'No, it's more than that. You are a great sister. I'm lucky to have you as a sibling.'_ The twins shared a few more moments of silence as Kenshin pulled off the road in into the gentle slope of a grassy field. Their father put the car in park and turned off the engine.

"Kenji, stay here, and give your sister and I a little privacy." Kenshin stepped out of the car and gracefully made his way across the glassy slope.

'_God, I hate one on one talks.'_ Tokio whimpered as the seat belt snapped away from her body.

'_Yeah it always feels better when it's a one on two talk like it was when we were kids.'_ Kenji agreed as he got comfortable in the back seat. Who knew how long this talk was going to last.

'_Growing up is so complicated.'_ Tokio sighed as she closed the car door and followed her father across the field. The ground was a bit rocky with grass shooting up between the rocks at about calf height. The edge of the field was a massive drop, a cliff. Kenshin sat with his legs dangling over the edge of the hillside. As she grew closer, he patted the ground next to him.

"Sit with Papa for a moment." He said and watched as she sat and swung her legs out to kick the air.

"I haven't called you Papa for years." She smiled as she gazed down at the sparkling city below.

"I know. Years have gone by so fast, and now my child is a grown woman. My little girl is a lifemate, that she is." His voice was thick with emotion.

"You didn't seem surprised." Tokio stated in a slightly bitter tone.

"All the signs were there. Saitou use to travel often. He was hardly here for more than a month at a time before he would leave again. The moment you were born. I think he's maybe traveled four times. His instincts told him to stick around. He didn't know why, but suddenly he felt better to stay here. He no longer secluded himself."

"He did visit an awful lot." Tokio agreed, her eyes darting from her father to the glowing city and back again. "Where would he go? When he would travel?"

Subtle curiosity for her lifemate…that was a good sign. Kenshin smiled to himself. "To the homeland. The soil there is comforting to our people. And to America to visit with his daughter. He saw her often."

Tokio felt her mouth drop open. She didn't know Saitou had a daughter. Almost against her will, jealousy flared within her. Nasty, green envy curled in the pit of her stomach. Who was this other girl in his life? And more importantly…who gave him a child before she could? She felt almost…cheated. Saitou already had a first born, and it was not from her. There was a growl in the back of her mind. _'Kenji, you're suppose to give me privacy right now.' _

'_It's hard._' Came his faint reply. _'It's like ignoring my own thoughts.'_

'_Try.'_ Tokio asked and she felt him fade further away. She didn't know why she felt so upset. "I didn't know he already had a kid." She muttered to her father.

Kenshin was skilled enough to hear the hurt in his daughter's voice. Yet he chuckled anyway. "I wouldn't call Camilla a kid, she's over one-hundred and twenty-five years old."

"And her mother? Does Saitou see her too?" Tokio snapped her mouth shut. How could she ask that? A sick feeling of dread washed over her. Cold heat started at her head and cascaded down her shoulders to her cramping stomach. Already she felt the pain of being separated from her lifemate.

Ah, now Kenshin understood. Tokio was insecure. Though why a woman as beautiful and as radiant as her mother would feel self-conscious was beyond him. "No young one. Saitou's first wife died in childbirth. She was the daughter of a human friend of our Carpathian group. He married her in a fit of desperation. I think he knew he was slowly starting to turn."

So she was human. That didn't help her to feel any better. Tokio felt some part of her go out to the dead woman. Saitou used the poor woman…just like it felt he was using her. "It feels…it feels like my job has already been done." She admitted, not wanting to hold back from her wise father. Her hands fidgeted with each other and she wedged them under her thighs to stop.

"I don't understand." Kenshin's kind eyes glowed softly.

"Well. Saitou already had a child. A girl even. What am I here for?" She shrugged her small shoulders. She watched her father blink for a second, his eyelids lowering slightly.

"Tokio Kamiya Himura your job is not to be a breeding animal." He said in a cold, but not unkind tone.

"Feels like it sometimes. All you guys ever talk about is children and miscarriages and I remember Kenji and I being fussed over all the time by Aoshi. Obsessed with our health and wondering if mom would be able to carry a child again after her second miscarriage."

"Our race is dying, it is one of our top priorities to see that we don't go extinct and leave the world unprotected." Kenshin set a hand on his daughter's shoulder and turned her to face him. "But that is for the males to worry about. Vampires and protection and such. Your job is to love and heal. You're here to love Saitou. His human wife could never replace the love he needs desperately from you, Tokio."

"He hardly seems thrilled, if I'm such a savior to him." She muttered, resting her head in her hands. She recalled the glare in his eyes as he stated the bonding words. Oh yeah…. He was in love all right… spitting the words out almost against his will. She felt pain in her heart. It surprised her how much she cared about it. Had it been in some dark part of the forest with deep emotion in his eyes and voice, hands holding her gently as he whispered the words against her ear….Tokio was sure she would have been happier with the turn of events. Saitou was as beautiful as the other males she had seen. It wouldn't take much for her to be attracted to him. He was just so nasty to them

"You weren't exactly an angel yourself Tokio." Her father chastised gently. "Saitou's soul is tattered. If you tried, you could feel the holes there. All he knows is anger. Tokio you must teach him to love again. It is there, but it is hard for him. You are the key to unlock his emotions. Right now they are just a jumble of feelings. I know…the same thing happened to me when I first met your mother. So much emotion swirling around me at the same time. I lost my temper with her more than once. It took time for me to become stable… your mother helped me by loving me…deeply."

"But why does he have to be so mean, not just to me but to Kenji? I hate that about him. I hate it." She set her jaw.

"I believe he's a little jealous." He watched the skeptical look form on her face. "Think, Kenji is deep in your mind, he shares part of your soul. He knows you in a way Saitou never could. He can feel Kenji in your mind almost as if he has to share you. And trust me young one… no full blooded Carpathian male will accept that. His lifemate is his alone. We are very protective and possessive. You must be patient with him, he's learning too."

"But shouldn't I be happy too? Sorry dad but this whole thing sucks." She couldn't help but pout as her father chuckled at her immaturity.

"Well put young one. Do not worry about being happy. That is Saitou's job. Trust me, he will know when you are not happy and it will eat at him until he makes you happy again. It's in his blood. But just like any relationship there are times when it's going to…suck."

Tokio smiled. "Thanks dad. I'll try." Her father reached around and pulled her close for a hug.

"I just want you to be happy Tokio. I know it will be tough with Saitou, but with lifemates…it comes naturally. You just have to let it. And Kenji has to let it as well."

… . . …

Kenji reached between the front seats and turned the key, the radio turned on and Kenji increased the volume slightly. He needed something, anything to help distract his mind from eavesdropping on his sister and father's conversation. The hard beat of rave music filled the car. The tone of a synthesizer was at just the right level to help block the conversation going on a few yards away. The teen sighed and slumped back against his seat, his legs stretched across the back seat. How awful he felt for starting a fight in Tokio's workshop. The place needed positive, gentle thoughts to help empower the jewelry she made. Now he was sure his sister would have to do some mental cleaning of the place.

And what was he thinking picking a fight with Saitou. The man was hundreds of years older than he was and had fought many wars. Kenji hardly had a chance to fight his first vampire. It was a good thing nothing really happened because he would have hated to lose face in front of his sister. Still…He wanted to beat the hell outta Saitou. Filling Tokio's head with those images of sex…very romantic indeed. His sister deserved better than that smut. Kenji punched the back of the driver's seat. It was just…so hard. He didn't know that it was going to this hard to keep out of his sister's mind. They had been together for eighteen years…in the womb they shared thoughts. Now suddenly he was expected to keep away?

It wasn't like he didn't try…the first sign of Tokio's curiosity about what love would be like with Saitou had Kenji pulling back to save himself the nausea. But it was like ripping out a bit of his soul. It hurt and scared him. And then feeling Tokio's sudden hurt when their dad told her Saitou already had a child….her hurt and jealousy had become his own. Kenji rubbed his forehead as the music faded away and radio advertisements started. He concentrated on every voice over the radio to keep himself from thinking.

-"Another child was found dead today only three miles from her home. Authorities say she was taken out of her bed through and open bedroom window. The two year old was found mutilated as if mauled by a large animal…."-

Kenji tipped his head to the side. This was the second child mauled to death in the middle of the night. Was there another vampire in the city? The news went on for a few more minutes but Kenji didn't pay much attention. He wondered if Aoshi was on alert. No doubt he was. The teen itched to join him and hunt down the leach. Something inside of him told him this was a vampire. He had to protect…save those poor children. It was always weird when strong Carpathian instincts took over. Planting thoughts and ideas in his head like spirits mentally whispering in his mind.

Movement out of the corner of his eyes brought his attention back to the hillside. His sister gracefully picked her way through the rocky hillside. Kenji sighed. Guess it was his turn now. He left the radio on as he opened the door and stepped out side. His sister looked thoughtful, obviously their dad gave her some confusing words of wisdom.

"How was it?" He asked as she reached the car.

"Not as bad as I thought." Though her face said otherwise.

Kenji pulled his sister into a hug. "Everything will be alright."

Tokio smiled into his shoulder. Kenji was always trying to be the strong one. He felt completely out of his element, starting fights and feeling things he really didn't want to feel and he was the one telling her it was going to be alright. She pulled away just enough to look at him. "I know, we just need some time. Dad wants to talk to you. I'm suppose to take your car and go back home." Instantly his eyes darkened.

"Back to Saitou to mean." His voice rumbled as he dropped his arms away from her.

"Well he did tell me to and he is sorta my husband now." She watched him snarl at that word. "I want to try and make this work. I know Saitou can be nicer, he's just forgotten how." The stark look of surprise on her brother's face hurt Tokio.

"Wow, I can't believe you're actually sticking up for that asshole."

"Kenji.."

"It's like all those years he picked on me as a kid never happened." He took a step back. "Or how he would make both of us cry."

"Kenji I know he did some bad things but he can't help it." She waved her hand at her brother. "Look at you, this sudden anger… can you help but feel it?" Tokio watched as her brother snapped his mouth shut and glare down at her.

"No, guess not." He muttered. "I better go and talk with dad before he drags me off by my hair again." He gave his sister a smile and felt the relief flood them both. She hugged him again before reaching for the car door. Kenji turned around and headed to the cliff edge. His father sat, gazing down at the city, giving them their privacy it seemed. He sighed as he sat down next to him.

"I told Tokio; it's amazing to see how she has grown." Kenshin started, his suddenly sad eyes turned to his son. "It is the same for you. Yesterday you were running about, tumbling on the floor with toys and now I'm pushing you into battles with vampires."

"Hardly." Kenji muttered. Weak vampires that were already tired out. And even then it was Kenshin who ended up finishing them off. His father chuckled.

"Don't be so eager to take up your duties, son. A Carpathian's soul degenerates as soon as he ends his first life."

"You can't protect me forever, dad." The teen picked a few pebbles from the ground and tossed them into the dark depths below them. "My soul will fade no matter what. I may as well take a few vampires down along the way."

Kenshin took on a thoughtful look as he watched his son gaze out into the night. "You are very brave for a fledgling." He said softly.

"Pish." Kenji scoffed. "Only for Tokio, and even then I think she knows the truth." He was afraid…terrified of the idea of losing his feelings, of colors. He often wondered how it would happen. Would the colors slowly start to fade until one day he would realize that everything was many shades of gray? Or would the colors flicker and blink out one by one to be replaced by their drab counterparts? The idea of going color blind scared the hell out of him.

The idea of losing all feeling however seemed to be welcomed in his mind. He was constantly a pot of bubbling emotions. Churning and overflowing with feeling that Kenji could not turn off no matter how hard he tried. His father told him it was normal for children to have such an overabundance of emotion and that he should enjoy it while he had it. But Kenji was looking forward to the peace and silence that he had in store. No more hate or jealousy and most of all no more anger. Just acceptance… like Aoshi. His father was nodding his head as if he was listening in on his thoughts. Kenji was pretty sure he was.

"Your young emotions are hard to control. I know this. But for the sake of your sister, you have to keep them in balance. At least where Saitou is concerned." Kenshin took on an authoritative tone, moving into father mode. "I do not understand what you were thinking picking a fight with Saitou in Tokio's workshop."

Kenji bowed his head. "I know, that was stupid."

"Yes, stupid and reckless. Not only is Saitou hundreds of times stronger than you, he is newly bonded. His emotions are just like yours right now. All bubbling up so much he can hardly control or understand them. What if he had killed you? And believe me…there was hardly anything stopping him from doing so. What would that have done to Tokio? You are a part of her. More importantly, what would that do to her relationship with Saitou? Something like that could ruin her life forever. Do you want that for your sister?"

Kenji blinked. "No."

"I do not understand the connection between twins. But I believe it is like a weaker connection between bonded lifemates. You must shut yourself away from her just like you do before you fight with a vampire."

Kenji winced; he remembered the first time he had blocked off all connection to his sister during his first fight. It was instinct; something inside him told him to do it. He didn't want his sister to see what was going to happen. And if he was hurt, he didn't want Tokio to feel it, or to worry. He remembered coming home to her sobbing in Kaoru's arms, she was so sure he was dead…why else would he be gone from her mind. "Why?" It would driver her nuts.

"I believe part of her reason for not being able to accept Saitou is because of your hated to him." Kenshin put a hand on Kenji's shoulder. "It's impossible for her to hate Saitou. She was born to love him…but you…it seems…was born to hate him…and you share part of your soul with Tokio. If you shut yourself out, then that will leave her free for her instincts to kick in. She will be happy with her lifemate. Besides," he added as he dropped his hand from his shoulder, "they deserve some privacy."

Kenji winced again, feeling the blood rush to his face. It was so awkward having lustful thoughts about some jackass running though his mind. He did not want to experience their first bonding. The teen squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head violently to get the thought out of his mind. "I think that might be a good idea." He said carefully. "I sorta already thought about it while we were planning the trip back to Romania for her ball."

Kenshin nodded. "Do this, at least until you are older and can better control the connection between you."

Kenji nodded as he noticed the sky changing colors on the horizon. Wow, was it almost dawn already? Small pains in his stomach reminded him that neither he, nor Tokio fed much that night. The teen felt slight guilty, his sister hardly hunted without him; no doubt she was hungry right now as well. "I guess we better start heading back."

But his father ignored him. "If it will help you to block your sister, and to get your mind off Saitou, you can join me more often in my weekly hunts for random vampires, that you can. It goes against everything I am as a father to throw you head first into your own destruction. But you are right, as a Carpathian, the skills you learn now will help protect you and your loved ones years from now."

Kenji thought for a moment. He was ready to start hunting, and anything that would get his mind off his sister for a little while would be welcomed. "Alright." The boy said simply, nodding his head. Kenji went to stand but his father caught him by the elbow and forced him to sit back down. "Dad the sun is rising." He blinked in surprise as Kenshin reached into his gi and pulled out a pair of his specially made sunglasses. He held out a pair to Kenji. The teen took them and looked up at his father with question.

"Even though you only came of age a few days ago, your power has doubled in that short amount of time." Kenshin slid the glasses on as the first golden rays peeked over the mountain tops. Kenji quickly did the same before his eyes could be blinded. "You can now stand in the sunlight for a while. The older and stronger you become, the longer your body can stand it." He stood and helped Kenji to his feet. Then without a word, Kenshin turned and in a blink of an eye was gone.

'_Come home when you are ready.'_ Kenshin whispered to his son.

Kenji turned just as the warn sunlight fell upon him. He clenched his teeth waiting for the unbearable stinging that would be followed by blisters and burns. But this time it was different. The sunlight felt warm, not painful…the early morning light didn't weigh him down until he wanted to hide himself under the ground. Kenji took a deep breath as he stared into the half globe of glowing light that peeked over the mountain. He was an adult male Carpathian now.

… . . ….

Tokio watched as the sky started to turn dove grey. Sunrise was a few minutes away. Her lavender eyes turned back to the road. Saitou was expecting her at his home any minute. The girl gripped the steering wheel, her fingers tapping out a rhythm of their own. What was Saitou expecting of her when she got there? Was she just suppose to move right on in? Make herself at home in a house that she had only been in once, years ago? Would…would he kiss her again and complete their bonding?

An image flashed in her mind. Bare flesh and flashing teeth. Tokio veered off the road and she jerked the wheel, breaking the image. Mating with Saitou…Tokio shivered, though out of disgust or anticipation…she wasn't sure. She wasn't sure of anything now that Kenji finally fell silent in her mind. What were her real feelings for Saitou? Could she really be the lifemate her father said he needed? Was he waiting for her right now?

Her stomach clenched tightly. She was too hungry and too nervous. Tokio shook her head. She couldn't do this right now. Besides, it was almost dawn. Her home was closer, safer. At least in her mind. Tokio kept on the road and pulled into their estate. She parked Kenji's car next to her own in the garage and made a beeline to the forest behind her home. She needed some time in her shop. The negative forces Saitou and Kenji left there had to be removed before they influenced any of her jewelry. She was safe there from the sunlight anyways; she could spend all day there and be quite safe.

She was sure.

… . . ….

What was taking that girl so long? Saitou paced like a restless cadged animal in his living room. It was a very traditional Japanese home. Furniture was at a minimum, the doors were rice paper screens and the floors were tatami mats. Modern influences were slowly leaking in although. The rugs on the floor, electronics, locks, a modern kitchen and bathroom, though he had no need for such rooms. And despite the delicate feel of his house, There were forces that protected it stronger than steel and concrete. Saitou's safeguards kept evil and unwelcomed people away. Saitou crushed his third cigarette in the ashtray that sat on a table. His immediately tucked another between his lips and scratched a match with his thumbnail. He took a long drag, paying close attention to how the smoke felt in his lungs and not how it felt to be separated from his mate.

A giant influx of power just outside his home signaled the arrival of a Carpathian, though…not the one he was expecting. Saitou released the smoke from his lungs and formed a simple symbol with a few waves of his hand. The safeguard at the front door faded and popped open. The visitor silently walked in and shut the door behind him. Saitou felt the temperature in the room drop a few degrees. A dark shadow formed as his visitor walked down the entryway and into the den where he was waiting.

Aoshi, the Dark One.

"Greetings Aoshi." This was a bit unexpected. Saitou glanced at the much older man. He could hardly look him in the eye. His power was too dark, too strong. Aoshi reeked of death and vampires. Saitou realized with almost startled humor that he was afraid of Aoshi, skin crawling, shivering, cold sweating afraid. He had just been unable to feel such stark fear. But now he could and now he knew why others kept away from Aoshi these days. That cool, calm, painfully beautiful mask of a face could not hide the power that trembled just under the surface. Aoshi's flat, emotionless eyes…like a robot's gave Saitou the chills.

"Greetings Saitou." His voice was a symphony. Pain and pleasure could be brought on by Aoshi at the uttering of a single word. Right now Saitou struggled not to be influenced by it. He didn't have to worry before, but now he had emotions, and he was suddenly, unexpectedly vulnerable to Aoshi's power. "I came only for a short visit. I will not be long." His navy blue cape snapped at his heels as the man advanced into the room. "I heard the news, congratulations on finding your lifemate. May your days together be filled with happiness." His words were like a poem from a genius poet. Though they were warm, friendly and genuine, his face stayed flat, not bothering to pull it into common human expressions. Saitou found this slightly disturbing.

"Thank you Aoshi. News travels fast." Saitou muttered.

"Yes, Megumi told me. She said Tokio took it badly?" the sudden flash of curiosity was only a nanosecond long, but it changed Aoshi features for that length of time and he appeared almost normal.

Saitou sighed and took a drag from his cigarette again. "I wonder…" he started, his eyes wandering to the window and the dove grey sky outside.

"Yes?" Aoshi took a few steps closer.

"Do you think that Tokio is…different, then other females, because her mother was a human?" He refused to look the ancient in the eyes.

Aoshi was silent for a moment. "I wondered if Kaoru being a human would affect any children she had. But she was a Carpathian when they were conceived and the pregnancy was like that of any other female."

"Do you think Tokio having a twin….a male twin, is what makes her so…reluctant to this bonding?" Saitou sucked hard on the glowing cigarette. Why didn't he come right out and ask…_Why does Tokio hate me?_ What was causing her to hate the one person in the world she was supposed to love?

"Possibly." Aoshi said cautiously. "Twins are a rare case among our people. Male and female twins are almost unknown to us." The last pair of male and female twins had been his brother and sister. They were over a thousand years older than he was and Aoshi never got to know them very well at all. He only caught glances of them at war time. "This is why we study Tokio and Kenji as often as we do." Aoshi and Megumi were trying to learn as much as they could from the children.

"Tokio resists me. I think it's because of her brother." Saitou admitted, though he would have rather drank vampire's blood instead.

Aoshi nodded as if he knew this whole time. "My twin siblings never found lifemates. Rumor was they were each other's lifemates. I think that's ridiculous. I believe the strength of the connection between my siblings was so strong that no other could interfere. I believe the only reason you were able to bond with Tokio is because they are only eighteen years old. Babies…their connection with each other is not as rock solid as my siblings were."

Saitou had not heard Aoshi speak so much at once in many years. It was like a hypnotic trance. "What do I do?"

"You already know what to do. It's instinctive. Love her, protect her and take care of her. You must accept this connection between her and her brother. It will most likely fade away but it will always be there. It will be best for you not to fight it so hard, for the sake of her happiness."

Which comes before his own. "Thank you, Aoshi."

Aoshi nodded once and turned to leave, but he caught himself and looked over his shoulder. A very non-Aoshi gesture. "Megumi wanted you to remind Tokio that she has an appointment with her tomorrow."

"Appointment?" Saitou blinked.

"Yes. Megumi has been keeping track of Tokio's ovulation cycles to better understand our fertility problems. Have you shared blood yet?"

Saitou twitched. That was a very personal question, he may as well of asked if they had sex yet. "No."

Aoshi nodded before turning back to the front door. "Share blood before you send her to Megumi's. It may trigger something in Tokio's anatomy that could answer some questions about female maturity."

Saitou didn't like that Aoshi knew a lot about Tokio's anatomy. Doctor or not, it bothered him. Aoshi vanished as silently as he came and the sky was growing bright. That girl still had not showed up. Saitou set his jaw and dove within himself. To hell with a little privacy. His connection with her was not as strong because they had yet to share blood, but he was able to slip into her mind long enough to see that she was parking Kenji's car in their garage.

… . . …

Tokio sighed as she walked through the bit of forest between her home and her shop. The morning was crisp and cool, and Tokio would give anything to watch the forest glow with sunlight. But she couldn't, she had to hurry to her shop before the sun peeked over the mountain tops. She knew Saitou was waiting for her but Tokio found it impossible to make herself go to him. It was like throwing herself in a pit of wolves.

She kept her eyes glued to the path in front of her. Saitou would be angry but when wasn't he angry? Besides, Tokio wanted a little bit of time, he didn't expect her to pick up and move the very night he bonded with her did he?

"Yes I do."

Tokio froze so fast she nearly pitched forward onto the ground. Looking up, she spotted Saitou leaning against the door of her shop.

* * *

a/n lots of information in this story, very little action. Gomen, but the next chapter should be better. Tokio was a bit surprised about Saitou already having a daughter, I'm sure that is going to come into play later on. Kenji can now stand in sunlight for a little while, and what about those stranger child mauling? Things are about to quickly heat up! Reviews are loved!


	5. Do as I Say!

A/n OMG I'm sorry that the update took forever. Gezz I suck. We started raising chickens and it's sorta sucking up some of my free time. Right now they chicks are about a week old and I'm about to start building the coop. But You don't wanna hear about that, you want the story. I want to thank my loyal reviewers that tolerate my estranged behavior when it comes to this story. I'm not worthy. I bow are your feet and offer you this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kenshin or Feehan.

* * *

Chapter 5

"Saitou." What was he doing here?

"I remembered telling you to come straight home before dawn." Saitou drawled in a lazy tone.

Tokio blinked, "I am home, and it's not dawn yet." She glanced up at the sky.

"I meant my home and you know it." He dropped his arms and stood straight to allow her into her shop. The girl squeezed by him so that they wouldn't touch. "I do expect you to pack up and make yourself at home in my house today."

"Quite a bit has happened to me in the past twelve hours Saitou." Tokio planted herself in front of her workbench, her feet at a wide stance. "Can't it wait until tomorrow? Besides…" Tokio closed her eyes and placed her hands over the workbench, "it's almost sunrise." She kept her hands hovering just inches from the table.

Saitou had an answer to that but he was suddenly distracted by what his lifemate was doing. He pushed away from the doorway and silently shut the door behind him as his eyes locked onto her hands. Warmth and sweet positive energy started to flow like invisible heat waves from the palms of her hands and Tokio slowly washed every inch of her worktable with this power.

Tokio slowly moved from her work table to the rack and wooden busts that held her partially finished work. She washed that area with positive energy as well. It suddenly dawned on Saitou that she was cleansing her workspace of all the negative energy that he and her brother brought in with their argument. The male suddenly felt ashamed of contaminating his lifemate's sacred space with his anger. "I…Forgive me, Tokio."

"For what?" The girl's voice was light, like music to him. She kept her eyes closed as she slowly moved to the shelves of jewels.

"For letting in so much negative energy, that you have to clean your shop." His palms itched, as wanting to help her. But Saitou was unsure he would be able to even muster up some positive life force. So he kept stone still, his back against the door and as far away from Tokio as she worked.

"It's fine, The shop was overdo for a cleaning anyways."

How fast she was to shrug away his wrong doing when before he was sure she would have snapped at him. Saitou felt himself smile, just a twitch of the lips into a soft grin. But as Tokio walked around her shop, Saitou felt something strange. It felt as if a dozen butterflies were beating their wings against his skin. There was a strange cramping in his stomach that only seemed to grow the closer Tokio came to him. It wasn't until the butterfly wings were about to drive him to distraction that his instincts clicked on and he understood what it was he was feeling.

Her hunger.

Tokio was hungry and her body was calling out for blood. Saitou was her provider now; her body was calling to him for nutrition. Saitou felt shame for letting such a basic need go unanswered. He wasn't taking very good care of his lifemate, was he?" The smile faded and the grim, stoic set of his lips returned as she stood silently, waiting for her to finish her job. She was inches from him now, her scent filled his lungs and he breathed deeply to imprint her scent into his mind. Her lavender-blue eyes popped open as she dropped her hands.

"There see, no harm done. The shop is clean." She turned and stepped away but Saitou reached out and caught her by the arm, just above her elbow. Tokio froze and looked back at Saitou. "Let me go." He hated to see that her eyes had darkened.

"No, You're hungry."

Tokio blinked as she dropped her defensive stance, clearly confused. "Yeah? So? Like I said, a lot has happened last night." She shrugged. "I didn't get a chance to hunt." She was pretty sure Kenji was hungry as well. The last thing any of them had on their mind last night was food.

Saitou stepped up to Tokio, pulling her to him as he did so. "It's my job to provide for you now."

Tokio frowned slightly. "That won't be necessary, I can hunt for myself." The female said carefully, testing with a tug of her arm to see if Saitou would let her go. He didn't.

"It is necessary, I won't allow you to go hungry and you will no longer hunt without me by your side."

Tokio suddenly forgot her father's words of wisdom as she drew herself up to her full height. "You can't dictate me! I can go out and hunt for myself thank-you-very-much. I'm not a child anymore, I don't need to be spoon fed."

"I'm not trying to dictate you." Saitou had to fight to keep from shaking her by her arm. "It's dangerous out there and you're too important to risk by letting you go off by yourself."

"I go with Kenji."

Saitou shook his head again. "Kenji isn't strong enough to protect you the way you deserve." He knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

"Kenji may not be strong," Tokio started, her words clipped, her eyes glaring. "But I would much rather be protected by him than anyone else." She could feel how her words stung him and she felt his hurt as if it were her own, but she didn't back down. Saitou growled deep in his throat but she refused to let him intimidate her.

"Regardless, you will take what I offer you." With his free hand Saitou pulled at his shirt, snapping two buttons, sending them flying across the room.

Tokio's eyes flew right to the large vein pulsing in his neck. Her hunger roared to the front of her mind. But what would happen when she drank from him? She knew that their bond would only get stronger, but what exactly would she feel? Suddenly she wasn't just angry, she was afraid.

"Just drink from me and end your hunger. It's nagging at me." His voice was suddenly a soft whisper.

Tokio felt herself take a step closer as Saitou bowed forward slightly, tipping his head ever so slightly. She had to bite, end this painful hunger that she had been ignoring all morning. She had to. She was compelled.

Wait.

Tokio's eyes cleared. Saitou was using his compulsion powers on her. She froze in his grasp. "Stop controlling me." His scent washed over her like steam from a hot shower. He smelled of spice, wood and as all males, of dark, rich earth. "You have no right." She added, though the strength behind her words had all but drained away.

"I have every right. You are my lifemate and I will do all that is in my power to keep you healthy and happy. Even if it's forcing you against your will."

"That won't make me happy." She said through clenched teeth.

"But it will keep you healthy." He countered.

Frustration boiled up and Tokio had to keep herself from stomping her foot. Saitou's acid yellow eyes had warmed to heated amber and they seemed to be full of amusement. "That isn't fair." She finally spat.

"Fair or not, if you do not eat, I'll make you. I'll dive into your mind and take control of your body and force you to bite me, and you'll be unconscious the whole time. I rather not do that, but if you starve yourself, then I will be forced to." He said matter-of-factly.

"You can't do that!" If he could do that, what was stopping him from taking control of her mind all the time? Would she become his robot, his slave?

"It's not like that Sweetheart, I would much rather have your corporation than to take control of you."

"Get out of my head." Tokio growled.

"Hearing your thoughts is nothing I can help, you now that." Saito said in a gentle voice. His deep, rumbling baritone was nothing Tokio was used to and again she felt compelled to do as he said. Already she could feel the pressure in her mouth as her fangs started to grow.

Fine.

Fine, she would feed, but Tokio wouldn't forget this argument. She wouldn't let him forget either.

For one split second the couple glared at each other then Tokio lunged and latched on to his flesh just below his shoulder. Fangs sank in deep and she bit hard. Saitou grunted and stumbled in surprise. But he quickly regained his footing, one arm going around his lifemate to hold her too him, the other to the wall behind him to brace himself.

Pleasure the likes he had never known racked his body. It shot from his head, making him dizzy and his vision blurry, down to his toes, causing his legs to go numb. Tokio pulled her fangs away from the bite, letting his blood flow into her mouth. His heart was hammering as he panted loudly for air. Instantly his own fangs grew until he had to keep his mouth open to accommodate them.

Carpathian blood was very different than human blood, Tokio already knew this. But what she didn't know was just how different her lifemate's blood would be compared to that of a Carpathian. His blood was spicy, burning with heat that scorched her entire body from the inside out. She could feel it as it flowed down her throat and into her stomach, as it pumped into her veins causing every inch of her body to burn and hum with Saitou's power and energy. She had no idea how much time had past when there was a sudden break in her euphoria. Pain lanced at her throat quickly followed by pleasure so strong, that she nearly lost her hold on Saitou. Strong arms wrapped around her and she could no longer tell if her feet were still on the floor.

Nature forced him to bit her, Saitou and Tokio were now locked together, sharing blood. Saitou gathered his weak mate to him as he drank his fill of the soothing warmth that was her lifeblood. The vivid colors that had suddenly rushed at him hours ago were smoothing out and coming into focus. His newly acquired emotions swirled anew and he felt tears spring to his eyes. They were now one. Having shared blood their connection was now rock hard and sure. Other instincts switched on, he now had to complete their bonding, and he needed to bed his mate.

Tokio pulled away from the wound she had created, quickly dragging her tongue over the bite to heal it. Saitou still had his mouth locked firmly on her neck and only then did she realize that they had fallen to the floor. It didn't matter, nothing really seemed to matter at that point but the sudden heat that settle low in her body. Saitou had one hand on her hip and the other was slowly petting her back under her clothes. The heat from his hand on her bare skin was searing, almost painful. In fact the whole thing seemed too painful. Tokio wanted to crawl out of her clothes, out of her own skin, out of her earthly body. To shed it all and flutter away; carried on the breeze that was this pleasure Saitou was causing.

She felt him pull his head back, running his tongue along the wound sealing it. A moan issued from between his clenched teeth as he buried his head between her neck and shoulder. The very sound of it, the feel of his breath as he panted against her skin sent her mind spiraling. Her hands gripped at his jacket as if she was about to fall away even though he had her nearly pinned against the floor.

"Tokio," he gasped suddenly as his lips burned a trail up her neck. "I'm taking you home." He added breathlessly.

Tokio arched against him, restless, her mind hazy. "But the sun." She protested weakly. Her eyes opened and she could see sunlight filtering in from the high windows of the shop. Strangely she couldn't feel the weight of the sun pushing her down, forcing her to sleep until the sun set.

Saitou pulled away so he could face his mate. His sharp narrow eyes were heated and intense, heat and power rolled off of him in waves. He was a deadly demon, and Tokio was afraid even though she knew she had nothing to be afraid of.

"The morning sun does not harm me. Nor will it harm you now that you've drank my blood and gained my strength and power." His tone was not arrogant, only stating what was truth. He wrapped his arms around Tokio and settled deep in her mind. There, he planted the idea of dissolving into a fine mist. It was something his young mate had never done before, for she lacked the power. But Saitou had the strength to help her hold herself together as they traveled away from the forest and to his home.

Tokio suddenly felt herself grow very light. Allowing Saitou deep in her mind seemed to go against everything, but the idea of going outside in the daylight. Oh, how she missed the sun! It suddenly seemed as if Saitou was everywhere within her mind, body and soul.

'_Let me carry you on the wind.' _Saitou whispered in her mind.

Tokio felt herself moving even though she no longer had arms or legs. A swirl of deep blue and bright yellow mist filtered out of the shop and into the forest.

Tokio and Saitou were both assaulted with bright colors. Even though it had been hundreds of years from the last time Saitou had seen such colors, he didn't allow it to distract him from his hold on Tokio, he was the only thing keeping her in mist form and protecting her from the sun. They couldn't stay in the light for long, every minute that past was only adding to the strength of the sun. Soon even Saitou would have to find a place in the dark to sleep.

Tokio's joy was tangible as they flew through the woods at an amazing speed. Rays of sunshine were warm, no longer blistering. Childhood memories flooded back. Birds sang and insects fluttered, flowers opened and the trees swayed in the wind that carried them. All of this was accompanied by heated whispers Saitou placed in her mind.

All too soon they reached Saitou's home. They swirled about as Saitou used his power to undo the safeguards. The front door popped open and the two swirled into the house. Once inside, the mist swirled into pillars and Saitou and Tokio returned to their solid bodies. Saitou took a moment to weave the safeguards back over the house. He watched and Tokio nervously glanced about the den. Their wasn't much to his house. Very traditional in style and décor.

… . . …

It wasn't very different from the last time Tokio had visited his house years ago. The same ink paintings were on the walls and even the flower arrangements looked the same. Nothing she could do would stop the memories from flooding back. But Saitou turned, finished with the safeguards that locked them in. She saw his teeth flash in a cruel smile as he scooped her up and in an instant she felt a soft whispered of rushing air and the young Carpathian found herself in Saitou's underground lair.

It was a single room with the walls, floor and ceiling made of stone blocks. Tokio instantly felt the benefits of being deep underground. Energy returned and she no longer felt the weight of the sun as strongly. Thick, creamy yellow, beeswax candles sputtered to life, no less than fifty of them were scattered about the room. A small table and chair sat in the corner of the room. Papers were scattered about the table as well as a stack of cigarette packs. The room was thick with the smell of Saitou's smoking. But it was simple for Tokio to dial out the scent and ignore it completely.

The bed sat in the center of the room against one wall. There was one pillow, one sheet and one small blanket. The bed was unmade but looked as if it hadn't been slept in for a while. A simple, small door lead out of the lair and at the moment it was nearly buzzing with Saitou's safeguards. Saitou stood silently and let her have her fill of the simple room. When he knew she had seen all there was to see, he advanced. Already his beast pushed against him, having her in his lair, it demanded him to act. Tokio felt something nagging in her soul. She was unsure if it was Saitou or some outside force. Whatever it was, it wasn't bad and she shoved it away as Saitou quickly advanced.

He took her by the wrist and Tokio turned around to face him. Her large lavender-blue eyes glittered in the candle light and her black-red hair shimmered. The sight made his heart clench. Tokio was so beautiful. He could not believe that his lifemate would be the most beautiful creature in the world. His beast calmed as he gazed at the wonder in front of him. Saitou reached out and placed his palm on her cheek. His heart rejoiced as she leaned into his touch.

… . . …

Kaoru pressed her body against the curve of Kenshin's back. They were deep in his lair, safe from the sun. "Kenshin." She whispered against his ear. "Do you think everything will be alright with Tokio?"

Kenshin turned in her arms and dragged his lifemate closer to him. After twenty-four years his lifemate, she hadn't aged a day from the moment he had changed her as a teenager. He didn't think it would be possible, but he was even more in love with her now, then he was then. His love was deeper, stronger, he hardly had to move into his mind and she would be there, always comforting and healing his soul. "I feel your worry, Firecracker. I'm sure there's no reason to worry."

"I never expected Saitou." She glanced up at his eyes. "I know his love for Tokio is as strong as your love for me…but.."

"Actually, his love would be much stronger than mine; he's much older than me. Our love and passion only grows as we age."

"But Saitou seemed so.. so.." She stumbled, looking for the right word.

"It's not easy for him, Lifemate. Remember, it might take some time. But trust me when I say that she is safer in his arms, more so than in ours." He kissed her softly on the lips when she pouted.

"It isn't fair. You didn't worry at all; you grew up with all this. I was angry with Saitou said the bonding words to Tokio. Just like that." Her eyes narrowed in memory and Kenshin chuckled.

"You must not have been in my thoughts the moment he said them, Lifemate. I was furious."

Surprised, Kaoru pulled away from his embrace to look him in the face. "You hid it rather well then."

Again Kenshin chuckled. "Of all the Carpathians to claim my baby, it had to be Saitou. Stupid as it seems, my first thought was that he had better not smoke around her."

Kaoru laughed then. "I understand, but yes, it is stupid seeing as things like that have no affect on our health." She relaxed now, her mind more at ease. "As long as she's taken care of and loved. That's all that matters."

"Trust me Lifemate," Kenshin said, his eyes closing as she snuggled against him. "She is safer now than she ever was."

… . . …

"Saitou! It hurts!" Tokio shouted as she writhed between him and the bed she was pressed against. Tokio had already decided she was going to surrender herself to Saitou, to taste the love he hard for her. Almost the moment he trapped her against his bed and trap her mouth in a kiss did a fire start in deep with in her. That simple nagging feeling rushed forward with such vengeance she couldn't hold back the scream that tore her mouth from Saitou's kiss. The fire raged. And not the good kind of fire. Not the burning with passion, but more like the just got shot with a sawed-off shotgun kind of burn.

Saitou paused and lifted his weight from the wiggling girl. She was still fully dressed, he hard hardly a chance to properly kiss her, why was she hurting? Fear and uncertainly stabbed him.

"I don't know!" She screeched, answering his thoughts. Her teeth were clenched, blood red sweat started to bead on her forehead. Saitou felt his cool emotional mask slip off completely. His lifemate really was in some kind of pain. Why couldn't he feel it as well? She gripped the sheets of his bed as a wave of pain trembled deep in her body, he could actually see her shimmering aura tremble with the waves of pain.

"Tokio, Sweetheart." He took her face between his hands and tried to calm her. "Tell me what it feels like, where is it?." He dove deep in her mind and yet still felt no pain.

"Here." She pounded her breast with one fist, just over her heart.

The pain was much deeper, not so much physical…Saitou had to go into her soul. The Carpathian male picked up the girl and crushed her to his chest in an embrace, his soul melded with hers. The source of the pain was suddenly obvious… but it couldn't be, this only happened to males. He pulled away from her soul, horrified.

"My God, there's a rip in your soul."

* * *

A/n Fat lot of good Saitou is doing. Don't be too hard on him, he's never had a lifemate and he's a bit too cold to pick up her needs all too well. Hopefully everything will work out eh? Thanks for reading! Reviews are loved!


	6. The Pain in my Soul

A/n Hi guys, this chapter is a little late but not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I want to thank all my reviewers for their comments for the last chapter, they really keep me going. Many of you guessed what Tokio's problem was; Though I was pretty sure I set it up too well and really gave it away...still, they were good guesses. My chicks are starting to look like chickens now. We spent forever building a huge coop and run for them. So now they are outside and happy to strech their little wings. Note:a baby bird flew into the coop yesterday when I had the door open to feed my chicks. It was half grown and learning to fly. I had to catch it before the rooster went after it. It was pretty cool LOL.

Okay, enough of me, and on to the story. It's a bit longer than the past chapters, I hope you enjoy it.

I don't own Kenshin or the work of Feehan.

* * *

A sob ripped from Tokio's throat as she curled up on Saitou's bed. The impact of his words seemed only trivial compared to the pain she was feeling. It was as if her chest was caving in and as if her back had just exploded outward. "Why?" Was all she could cough out, speaking only seemed to intensify the pain. Whispers of doubt and despair tickled the back of her mind. This was something very bad and nothing could be done to help it. Everything was hopeless, may as well give up. She was a useless girl.

Saitou was instantly by her side again. He scooped her up from the bed and held her like a small child. "I'm not sure. Females never get rips in their soul unless something horribly traumatic happened. How long have you felt this pain?"

Did he think she had been hiding it away this whole time? The dolt. "Just now!" She hissed. It felt as if someone had scraped a hunk of flesh from the inside out. A rip in her soul? Was this what it felt like to be a male? Having their soul rip and shredded a little at a time? These voices? No wonder they called it torment.

Saitou was at a loss for what to do other than try and take the pain from her. But the pain was not physical so it was difficult. Why would a female have a rip in her soul? She hadn't killed anyone, had she? "Tokio, have you been attacked? Did you kill something?" The male all but trembled in shame. How could he not have known his woman was in danger? Such danger that she had to take care of it himself.

"Don't be an idiot. I never killed anything in my life!" The girl growled between the ripples of pain. She dove deep within herself, becoming still in Saitou's arms. Oh yes, there was a rip alright. It was as if there was a tear in her aura. A raw wound in her life-force that threw the rest off-balance. But why? How? She mentally touched the wound and winced as a new wave of pain rolled through her. She deserved it, the whispers started. Such a burden to her family.

What of Kenji? Was he in trouble too? They were twins so perhaps the same thing was happening with him. She returned to her body to find Saitou softly chanting in his native Carpathian. "Do you think Kenji might be experiencing this as well?" Her voice wavered at the thought.

Saitou paused. "I'm not sure. Could it be that Kenji had made his first real kill and somehow your soul became damaged as well?" he muttered more to himself than to her.

"Or maybe in place of his?" She whispered and witnessed stark terror wash over Saitou's face. Tokio felt his fear like a splash of ice water on her back. Look, even he knows it's hopeless.

"That is unacceptable!" he suddenly blurted, it was the first sign of panic. "Don't listen to the voices, Sweetheart. They only seek to turn you into the darkness." The same darkness that turns males into vampires once they give into the voices.

'_Kenji. Are you alright?_' Tokio dove deep within herself again. She knew her brother had pulled far away from her to give her privacy, but she knew she could find him if she dug far enough. _'Something is wrong, are you alright? Saitou says there's a rip in my soul….Kenji?'_ Even in sleep her brother should have answered her. _'Kenji'_ it was second nature to connect with him. Almost as if she was talking to herself. But this was different. The harder she tried the more agitated to rip in her soul became. Was he alright? No, he was far from alright. He must be dead, stupid girl. Tokio shook her head, trying to rid the strange whispered flooding in from the rip in her soul.

'_Tokio.'_ Saitou's voice soothed her as it wrapped around her mind. _'I think I understand. There is nothing wrong with Kenji.'_

'_Then why won't he answer me?_' She whimpered in return. Because the boy hates you for pushing him away. It's all your fault.

'_Because, I believe he has removed his connection from you. Permanently.' _

Tokio snapped her eyes open as she rushed into her body for a second time. Kenji…no longer connected? As if they were no longer twins? "No! no, no. Kenji wouldn't do that."

But Saitou only nodded solemnly, his face back to his normal stoic mask.

Tokio's eyes started to shimmer. "No, something has to be wrong. Kenji promised he would never leave me." He lies, stupid girl.

"I can find out for you." Saitou said, he clutched the female ever closer to his body. He could feel her pain and the torment of the Darkness that called to them all. It was something females shouldn't have to endure. With a gentle touch he removed her sweaty hair from her face.

"Please?" Tokio's impossibly large eyes grew larger. Saitou bowed his head. He had no choice; he'd do anything for her. To help ease her pain and worries.

Saitou closed his eyes and awkwardly groped for the connection between him and the Dark One. Saitou made it a point to keep a bit of distance from everyone, especially Aoshi. With females and children all over the place now, Saitou had not trusted himself much in the last twenty years. The connections were neglected, but still strong.

'_Aoshi?_' It was getting late in the morning. Perhaps the Dark One would have gone to ground already. But his fears were put at ease, for instantly he felt massive power flow though the connection and into his mind.

'_Yes Saitou.'_ Aoshi's deep, very hypnotizing voice filled every cell of his body.

'_Tokio is in much discomfort, I've discovered a rip in her soul. She worried for her brother for he is not answering her calls.'_ He had hardly finished the sentence when he felt Aoshi's power pull in another direction.

'_Connect us.'_ Aoshi demanded. The Dark One was obviously a bit thrown by the idea of a female having a damaged soul. Saitou quickly merged his mind with the tormented one that was his lifemate. Her pain that was a twinge in the back of his mind roared to the front once again. He felt her fear, tasted it like some bitter drink in the back of his throat. He could hear the whispers of evil trying to pull her deeper into despair.

'_Hey Aoshi._' Tokio's greeting was a whisper, and the bitterness in the back of Saitou's throat grew. He turned to lie on the bed with his lifemate in his arms and clutched her even tighter to him as Aoshi scanned her every cell. This shouldn't be happening, females shouldn't have damaged souls. He just found his lifemate, he refused to give her up now.

'_Tokio, when have you felt not yourself._' Aoshi asked.

From the moment Saitou said the bonding words. _'Just at dawn._' Tokio stated. _'I thought it was just because the sun was rising and I was still awake and above ground. So I didn't think much of it.' _She sounded lost, vulnerable. Both Saitou and Aoshi instinctively reached out to comfort her.

'_And the pain?_' Aoshi pulled back before Saitou had any opportunity to reestablish that Tokio was his and that he would comfort her.

'_Not long ago, only a few minutes ago. The discomfort seemed to build a little at a time. I just thought it was because of the sun. Aoshi I think something may be wrong with Kenji!_'

'_Calm down, Tokio._' Aoshi demanded and in an instant Saitou felt her body go limp in his arms. Her heart rate slowed and her breathing became even. A few simple words, a single demand had Tokio bending to his will. Anger bubbled up but Saitou stomped it down the best he could. Tokio trusts Aoshi and besides, he was the Dark One. There wasn't a single person who couldn't do as Aoshi demanded.

The connection pulled further in the other direction, reaching out to a fourth party, then a fifth. But Aoshi always had firm hold on Saitou and Tokio, even as a sixth party was sought after. Saitou and Tokio couldn't hear anything these others were saying, they could only feel that some sort of link was being formed. Suddenly Aoshi rushed his full attention back to them.

"_Kenji has a similar tear in his soul. He's confessed that he had removed himself completely from you Tokio, so that there is no connection whatsoever.'_ Aoshi stated with calmness.

'_How is that possible?_' She clutched Saitou tighter, as if he would suddenly float away.

'_Your brother confessed that he felt it was not fair to him or to you to keep this intimate connection; one that you can't ever really close. I find this fascinating.'_ Aoshi confessed yet his voice or tone hardly changed from the stoic, hypnotic manor. '_He believes that if the two of you share blood, the connection will be reestablished, one that can be blocked or closed._'

Just like everyone else. Tokio knew that the link between her and her brother was as solid as if they were lifemates. Already Saitou's link with her was just as solid as Kenji's had been. But this was the way it was from before they were even born. Now to suddenly be missing this link, it was like suddenly having her limb removed.

'_I understand there must be some trauma to your mind.'_ Aoshi confirmed her thoughts. And Saitou's grip on her became crushing as he held her against his chest. _'Saitou, I want you to put your mate to ground. The earth may soothe her somewhat and send her straight to Megumi when she wakes_.'

Saitou nodded, knowing Aoshi would feel his agreement.

'_Kenji is alive and well, Tokio, you don't have to worry about him. He is feeling the same pain, but it is something he will have to deal with over and over until he finds his lifemate. He was made to endure this torment and pain, you are not.' _

Saitou gazed down at his lifemate as she appeared to be asleep in his arms. He felt her anguish for her brother. She didn't want him in such pain for so long.

'_I will leave you now Saitou, the both of you need your rest._'

And with that Aoshi was gone. Saitou exhaled as if he had been holding his breath for that entire conversation… perhaps he did. He stood, with Tokio in his arms and commanded the stone floor and the earth underneath to heave upward. She kept her eyes closed, but their connection was as strong as it could be. She was tormented, as the rip in her soul allowed such pain and negativity to flow unchecked. It was like a hot poker stabbing her in the heart and sitting there to sear in the pain deeper before turning into cold numbness before starting all over again with each heartbeat. Saitou felt helpless, and he hated that. He would rather fix what was causing his mate this pain, rather than put her to ground and hope mother nature could soothe what he could not.

"It's alright Saitou. I know you're doing all you can." Tokio whispered from his arms.

"Hmph, now who's reading who's thoughts?" Saitou said not unkindly, but with a hint of ironic humor. He stepped into the hole, dropping eight feet down and landed softly on his feet. _'You scared me to death Tokio. But it's not your fault.'_ He stated as he gently set his lifemate on the dark earth.

'_It's not Kenji's fault either. He was only doing as everyone was telling him. Giving me my privacy. I guess our souls were so close he had no choice but to rip them apart. I don't think he would have if he knew it was going to put a rip in my soul.' _

'_Shh, sweetheart, it is alright. I'm not mad at Kenji.'_

Tokio's eyes popped open in surprise. "You're not?"

Saitou shook his head, letting his long bangs hang by his face. "No, more at myself. I didn't stop to think about how closely you two might be connected. I wouldn't have dared demand Kenji leave your mind if I knew what it was going to do to you. I'm a fool for not analyzing the situation properly. If I had, I might have noticed how impossible it was for you two to separate minds."

"It's alright Saitou, I'm not upset at you." Tokio said as she closed her eyes. Who could be upset? It was a mistake. Sure she could be mad at Saitou out of spite and she was sure she would have been pissed at him if this had happened a few hours ago, but after the talk with her father, Tokio knew she had a job to do. She had to heal Saitou. Now that she had this rip in her soul, she knew just what it felt like. Poor Saitou had so many rips, no wonder males were driven to end the pain and become a vampire. She didn't wait Saitou to be in anymore pain. To hear the nagging voices in the back of their minds. And it was no use making him feel worse than he already was by blaming it all on him.

Saitou bowed his head over his lifemate. How could she be so forgiving? He had caused something unthinkable to happen to her. The pain she was in was something females were never supposed to feel. He had failed as a protector, what's worse; he was the cause of all this mess. He curled his long body against Tokio's and wrapped his arms protectively around her, as if to keep anymore harm from coming to her. He would do what he could to set things right. Somehow. Ever so carefully, he went into her mind and commanded her breathing to slow and then stop, her heartbeat slowed before becoming silent. Then the wave of earth crashed back down upon them, incasing them in healing, nurturing soil. Saitou scanned his house for the safeguards before he commanded his own body to fall into the death-like sleep.

… . . …

Tokio curled tightly in the backseat of her little car. She felt terrible. Was this what humans felt like when they were "Under the weather?" her death-like sleep wasn't very death-like. She was haunted by nightmares. It was the first time in a long while that her death-like sleep was visited by any sort of dreams, much less nightmares. She hardly had any appetite when Saitou woke her when the sun set. Even though her body begged for blood and Saitou's body, all she could manage was a few swallows of his blood before she felt the pain of the rip again; and the voices, stupid voices always there to comment everything she did, said and thought.

Transportation had been another issue. Saitou wanted to fly straight to Megumi's but for some reason being off the ground caused the pain in Tokio to escalate into something terrible. So Saitou retrieved her car, wrapped her in a blanket and she gladly crashed in the back seat and let Saitou drive her the fifteen minutes to Sano's and Megumi's place. It felt like the drive lasted hours.

The car slowed and Saitou threw the car into park and turned around to his lifemate. "We're here, Sweetheart. How are you feeling?" He reached out and petted her sweat-damp hair from her face.

"Life sucks." Tokio muttered and was surprised to see Saitou smile at her candid comment.

"A lot of times, yes, it does." He said softly before climbing out of the car and holding the door open so she could crawl out from under the blanket and get out as well. She still had her strength; she just ached all over so her movements were slow and less graceful. Megumi stood at the doorway, looking anxious. Tokio grabbed Saitou by the cuff of his blue coat.

"Do you have to leave?" Tokio should have died from shock. She half expected Armageddon to start. She actually _wanted _Saitou to stick around. Though he had been nothing but gentle and kind now that she was ill, he was still…Saitou whom she despised hardly a day ago.

Saitou felt his heart break. His lifemate wanted him, needed him. But he knew that other than Aoshi, Megumi was the next safest hands he could deliver her to. He was a warrior not a healer and as such couldn't do much for her in this desperate situation. Slowly they walked up the stone pathway to Sano's home. "I am to go with your father and brother to hunt for what we believe is a new vampire. But if you wish, I'll stay with you."

The voices in her head snickered as Tokio fell silent at his side; Megumi waited not so patient looking. As much as Tokio wanted him there, he had a duty to perform to help protect them all, plus she was sure that whatever Megumi had in store with her this time was going to be as embarrassing as all the other visits. "No," she finally said. "I'll be okay. Don't kill Kenji alright; he hasn't gone on many hunting trips. And I'm sure he isn't feeling as peachy-keen right now as well."

"I'm sure." Was all he said, his face had long been set in the cold, narrow-eyed mask of his.

"Are you two going to stand there all night?" Megumi snapped. "Saitou if I'm not mistaken you have an appointment with Kenshin. And Tokio, you have an appointment with me." The woman reached out and all but snatched Tokio away from Saitou. "She'll be fine." Megumi called over her shoulder to Saitou as she marched Tokio through the front door and slamming it shut tight behind her.

Saitou stood there, glaring at the door in the darkness. Every fiber of his being shouted at him to keep his mate by his side. He couldn't be sure of her safety; he didn't want to trust her to anyone but himself. Yet he knew she would be fine with Megumi and Sano. The Carpathian growled low in his throat as he leveled his gaze at the door. All this wouldn't be as difficult if he could bed Tokio. That would seal their bonding, keeping all other males from forcing their own bonding upon her. Even though the idea was ridiculous, it was an instinctive nagging in the front of his mind. It would be one less thing to worry about when it came to his young mate. It wouldn't be as difficult to leave her alone.

Sighing, Saitou walked back to Tokio's car and made sure the keys were still in the ignition. He was sure she would stay with Sanosuke and Megumi until he came back for her. But if Megumi finished early and Tokio wished to go see her mother or go back to her new home, she could. Satisfied, Saitou vanished into a cloud of mist and flew off into the forest.

… . . …

Megumi's special exam room wasn't like most exam rooms. It was underground, so any healing Carpathian would be safe from the sun's forces. The lighting was not cold and harsh, it was warm and comforting. Candles burned, sending the scent of healing and calming herbs in the air and fresh flowers graced every corner. Tokio sat on the exam table, her legs swinging off the edge. Megumi stood next to her, her hand rested on Tokio's head and her eyes were closed. She could feel the healer flowing inside her body, looking at every cell in every corner of her body. With Megumi roaming around inside her body, the discomfort Tokio was feeling from the rip in her soul was soothed.

All too soon though, Megumi pulled out of Tokio's body and returned to her own. Her large educated eyes fluttered open.

"Well?" Tokio whispered.

"Something is definitely different about you Tokio. Different from when I looked at you last week." Megumi walked to an adjacent room and sat on a tall stool with wheels and rolled over to a desk that took up much of one side of the long room. No less than three computers sat on this desk. Tokio slid off the table and followed the healer into her lab. The young woman glanced at all the strange equipment that was in organized chaos in the long but narrow room.

"Like what?" she asked, one arm snaking around to hug herself just below her breasts. The ach was slowly returning along with the voices..

"Well, I'm not sure." Megumi said as her finger flew across the keys. The computer could hardly keep up as it flashed window after window, loading up information as fast as it could. "Much has happened to you in the last few days. You went from child, to an adult. You bonded with your lifemate and shared his blood." Megumi paused as a window on the computer started loading up a large amount of information, including images. "You have a rip in your soul due to a permanent separation from your twin." She took a small glass vial from her lab pocket. It was filled with the blood she had taken from Tokio the moment she sat in the exam room.

"All these things could be the reason why your body has so many tiny changes." She used a syringe to drop a few drops of blood on a glass slide and set the slide on a microscope. "I would be nice to know what was causing what changes, but with so much happening at once, it's difficult."

Tokio ducked her head slightly. She knew Megumi had been counting on her to try and solve the problem with Females not being able to get pregnant and why babies refused to thrive. She suddenly felt as if she let the healer down. "Sorry Megumi." So inconsiderate, years of work down the drain, useless girl. A voice snapped suddenly in the silence of her mind.

Megumi looked up from the delicate machinery. "It's not your fault Tokio." The woman smiled and Tokio was graced with her full beauty. "I know the men, as soon as they know you're their lifemate, nothing stops them." She turned back to the image on the computer that the microscope was projecting. "You and Saitou have yet to have sex right?"

"Uh,…No." Tokio felt heat rush to her face.

Megumi nodded. "Sorry, I know that's kinda personal. A lot personal actually."

"It's okay." Tokio muttered.

"Must be strange." Megumi continued. "You've known Saitou all your life and he ends up your lifemate. What are the odds?"

Tokio glanced away. The woman had no idea how strange it was. To suddenly be married to the man whose guts you've hated from the time you were a child. "No kidding." Tokio answered.

"You're ovaries seem to be normal, the same they were last week." Megumi suddenly dove back to the computer, pulling up Tokio's records and typing notes. "I want to examine you this time next week. And I want to see you as soon and you and Saitou complete your bond."

"Are you looking for some sort of pattern?" The young female perched herself on a second stool. Trying to ignore the idea of visiting Megumi directly after having Saitou bed her.

"I am. You see I've noticed something strange with our reproductive organs. They seem to slow down the older a female becomes. Tomoe had her fist miscarriage after being bonded with the Prince for twenty-five years. Her second came fifty-six years after the first. And her third came ninety-eight years after that. I've heard of similar patterns with other females around the world. There is more and more time between pregnancies. They seem to peak at three hundred and fifty years."

A pregnancy every three hundred and fifty years? No wonder their race is dying. More males are turning vampire then there are births every year. Tokio sighed softly to herself. "Does this mean no little brothers or sisters for me for a very long time?" She knew her mother and father had been trying desperately for more children right after she and her brother were born.

Megumi shook her head. "Hardly. Look at this." Megumi clicked on a new window. "The sixteen years I've been here, Tomoe has not ovulated once. Her ovaries never made an egg. But…Kaoru has ovulated every other month." Megumi used the mouse to point to the information on the computer. "I've ovulated every month for the first two years as a Carpathian, now it's every other month. You are ovulating every month and so is Itsuko. Now we are unsure if it's because of our age or the fact that your mother and I use to be human. But I am noticing as time goes on, our ovaries are slowing down. You and Itsuko's are showing no signs at all from the moment you hit puberty. You are as normal as any other healthy Human."

"But we're not human, and we were born Carpathian." Tokio was confused.

"Yes, so Aoshi and I believe that perhaps the link is with our mates. Aoshi and I have contacted many Carpathians from around the world and there is a very strong pattern. Most children are born in the first five hundred years of a couple bonding. Be they lifemates or not."

Tokio winced. Unbound females were bonded with males on the edge of turning vampire to save them. Due to the fact that Itsuko had yet to have a lifemate, Tokio secretly worried that they would send her to that fate. Maybe with Aoshi, although, Tokio figured Aoshi would refuse, respectfully.

"It drops dramatically after that. The strange thing is…" Megumi opened yet another window, "…it didn't use to be this way. Aoshi was the youngest of seven children, his siblings are anywhere from three hundred to five hundred years apart. Aoshi is the youngest, being born a thousand years after the Twins."

Ah the other set of male-female twins. The ones that saved their race from being eliminated almost a thousand years ago. Tokio thought about them often, even though Aoshi hardly spoke of them. She got most of her information from her father, who fought along side them…once.

"There seems to be something linked to us and the black plague." Megumi went on.

"The black plague? But we can't get sick." Tokio blinked out of her thoughts.

"Ah." Megumi held up a finger. "But that doesn't mean we don't get infected. It seems that our inability to carry children, and the struggle for our babies to live past the age of one never started until the early thirteen hundreds. The peak of the black plague. I think it may have caused a mutation in our species. I also believe that because Kaoru and I were human, we were not born with this mutation and therefore, should be easier for us to bear living, healthy babies."

"But Mom already had a miscarriage and Kenji was sickly as an infant."

"Yes but remember that your father Kenshin was born a Carpathian, and lived through the plague. He has the mutation. It very well may be why Kaoru's first pregnancy didn't last and why Kenji was a weak baby."

Tokio swallowed. She was a healthy baby. "Do I have this mutation?" Would her children have a chance? If she had any.

"I don't know. I have yet to discover this mutation. I don't know what exactly has mutated or if there is even a mutation to begin with. It's just a theory." Though she seemed sure that she was right. "It may also be why we bear only male children and rarely females."

"I thought the genes in the sperm of the male controlled what gender the child is." Tokio mused aloud.

"Yes!" Megumi was getting excited as Tokio seemed to understand.

"The mutation might very well be the sperm of the male. Those with the genes for females must have a mutation making implantation with the egg difficult, or they are not produced at all." Megumi sighed. "But I have yet to find any sort of mutation; although, I have noticed that the males produce more sperm with male genes than female, though the difference is hardly enough to have this gender issue."

Tokio glanced at the long lab room with its tables of equipment. "Uncle Sano spares no expense for this research huh?"

Megumi winced. "He's spent an obscene amount of money funding my research. I argued at first but he said he had nothing better to spend it on, and it would take hundreds of years of such spending before he started to run out."

"I hope we find an answer. I feel like you're on the right path." The female gut instinct that they possessed told her so.

"Excuse me." Said a dark voice behind them. Megumi and Tokio swiveled on their stools to face the doorway. Standing there, taking up most all the doorway was Aoshi. His beautifully cruel face gazed down at the females. Tokio felt both safe and in danger at the same time. "I've come to examine you personally Tokio." His voice flowed almost tangibly around her.

Tokio stood, almost without thinking about it and Aoshi stepped aside so that she could walk out of the lab. "More tests?" she asked as she climbed back on the exam table.

"Just one, I want to take a look at the rip in your soul." Aoshi said as he placed both hands on her body. One hand rested on her head, the other over her heart.

Tokio instantly went calm, as if she was unplugged from the rest of her body. She went limp and Aoshi slowly guided her to lie against the table without removing his hands from the important contacts. It was strange to have no control over her body, she felt almost detached. Aoshi flowing into her body was like a wave of warm water rushing into every corner of her being. Aoshi's hard eyes became distant but no less intense, his face, as always was set in a flat, emotionless state. She knew the moment he touched the rip in her soul. It stung like an opened wound and she mentally pulled back from his touch.

Time had no meaning anymore. Seconds stretched on like hours, minutes flew by in the blink of an eye. Slowly the discomfort and pain eased and was tucked back into the corner of her mind where she could better ignore it. The voices grew distant, to were she had to strain to hear them. Slowly Aoshi backed out of her body, giving her more and more control of herself as he did so. "How did it go?" She asked when she could finally move her lips again.

Aoshi removed his hands and helped her to sit up again. "The rip in your soul can not be repaired, however I was able to soothe the tear and found a better place in your mind to lock the pain away. I hope it helps."

Tokio nodded softly, her eyes dropping to her hands in her lap. The silence in her mind was both welcomed and disturbing. She could only wonder how her brother could endure it. "What about Kenji, is he alright?"

"Kenji is a male, this is the first of many rips he will have in his soul. His body and mind is better able to cope with the pain and the discomfort. He is doing fine."

Tokio smiled despite the moisture shimmering in her eyes. "I'm glad that he's doing better. But I feel….this dread."

Aoshi blinked, his cold stare disrupted for a nanosecond. "You do not want him to acquire any more rips in his soul?" When Tokio nodded he continued, tucking his hands behind is back and stepping away from the exam table. "In this day and age, with travel being as easy as it is, Kenji may find is lifemate much sooner than ever before possible. If she is alive, it may take only a few decades. Not the hundreds of years as it had been. If she has not yet been born, the young fledgling may have to wait a bit longer. But as long as you have hope for him, he will be fine."

Tokio smiled. "Thank you Aoshi." She stole a glance at his terrifyingly large and dark form. Did anyone hold any hope for Aoshi? He was over a thousand years old. Far older than most every unattached Carpathian Male. Where was his lifemate? Aoshi had traveled the world many times over. He had been to nearly ever corner and nook of this world. Her father had told her that he finally settled back in Japan a few hundred years ago. He believed his male instinct i telling him to stay put. His lifemate must be around somewhere, or soon would be. Tokio as well as the others in their group hoped so. For Aoshi had so many rips in his soul, he hardly possessed a soul at all.

"Tokio I'm done with the tests, Saitou left your car so you can see your family if you wish." Megumi interrupted her thoughts. Tokio glanced around Saitou and found the older woman tucked under Sanosuke's arm. Of course uncle Sanosuke would show up in the exam room if Aoshi was here. He couldn't help his nature to protect the females when there was an unattached and very deadly male with them. She glanced up at Aoshi in silent question.

"I see no reason for you to not leave." Aoshi started, his eyes hardly flickering in her direction. "Perhaps working on your creativity will help soothe you." He spoke to her like she was a precious child, his voice was soft, caring but his face was still that flat mask that disturbed everyone. "You're father's home is not very far from here, make sure you head straight there."

Tokio ducked her head very slightly. "Yes sir." Aoshi seemed satisfied enough, for he bowed his head low to Tokio and then to Megumi before taking his leave of the exam room. Sano followed to give the females privacy.

"You're not going to go straight to your parent's house are you?" Megumi said with a fox like smile that caught the young female off guard.

Tokio shook her head, she needed to think, to get away from the world for a little while. And working on her jewelry, was not going to cut it. "No…I don't think so."

* * *

A/n I think Tokio is gonna be in a bit of trouble if she won't do as she's told, eh? And yet, where's the fun in doing what you're told...right?  
Note: I'm working on Endure my Love (Aoshi's story) and it's comming along alright. Looks like it's going to be a M rated story. Egads. I'm also working on two more Kenshin stories that I will be posting as soon as I get a good amount typed up. At least a few chapters.

Anyways, thanks for reading...reviews are loved.


	7. Understanding You

A/n My apologies for taking so long to update. I was having a hard time with this chapter. It's because the closer I get to the end, the harder it is for me to write it out. I'm such a procrastinator when it comes to closing the story.  
On a side note: I fed my new baby corn snake this morning. I was worried because we had him for a week and he refused food. (He is supposed to eat ever 3-5 days) but today he decided that he was hungry and woofed up his meal in like two minutes. I was also worried because he didn't eat his food head first, but it turned out alright.

Anyways, I want to shout out to all the great reviewers really fast.

Gabi1994 –Don't worry, Aoshi will have help soon.  
Assassel – Thanks so much. I never did a rewrite before. I'll have to read this story before asking permission to see if I can do anything with it. Seems like a good challenge.  
RedWingedAngel- It's okay, I've been falling behind in updating my work. It's always great to hear from you.  
Scarylady- writing Aoshi's story is interesting in the fact that it's very difficult to write. I just hope I don't ruin it with its intenseness and darkness.

And thanks to all my other great reviewers!

Disclaimer, I don't own Kenshin or the work of Feehan.

* * *

Saitou paused and crouched down, setting two fingers on the imprint of a bare foot in the soft forest floor. The print was hardly twenty-four hours old and it was the third one they had found. Kenshin silently walked up and paused beside him and his teen son struggled to catch up.

"The footprints seem sporadic and unpredictable." Kenshin said. Glancing over his shoulder to see Kenji stop just yards from them to catch his breath. The young fledgling was having a hell of a time keeping up with the elders. "They are miles apart and all heading for a different direction."

"It's like…whoever it is… is going in circles." Kenji said as he gasped for air. "Or like there's more than one."

"Yes." Saitou simply said, rising to stand on his feet again. He stole a look at Kenji as the boy walked up to them, having recovered enough to not embarrass himself. Saitou narrowed his eyes slightly as he studied the boy. His face was set, though hardly flat and emotionless. The rip in his soul hardly seemed to have affected the boy as much as it did his sister. His lavender-blue eyes snapped upward to catch his.

"Is that what all the grown-ups say when they haven't a clue to the answer?"

"Kenji." Kenshin warned as he walked in the direction the foot print was pointed. The two males watched as Kenshin paused and held as still as the trees around him. He took a deep breath through his nose, filtering out the scent of the forest and all its inhabitants.

"Vampire?" Kenji asked. Anticipation ran through him, making him itch.

"Maybe." Was all Kenshin said; a hint of confusion on his face.

Saitou crouched back down over the print and inhaled deeply. "The scent is the same as the other two prints." Nothing he had ever smelled, it smelled old but the print was hardly that old. So it was one person, and it _was_ as if they were going in circles. "This one is not as old and the other two" A stench hung in the air that spoke of vampire, and yet not. There was something else there that didn't make sense and it was throwing the males off. Saitou watched and Kenshin's face pulled from confused to worried and disturbed. But whatever Kenshin was thinking, he wasn't going to share it.

"We're closer to humans." Kenji said in a low voice. Though the prints were in a wild, unpredictable pattern and it was impossible to tell what direction they were headed, they were definitely getting closer to civilization. Closer to humans and closer to their group unit. This sent up a red flag in Kenji's mind. Instincts were clicking on. Protect the humans…protect the females. His sister, his mother, Megumi and especially his unbonded cousin Itsuko; they were all in danger now.

"You are right." Kenshin said, reading his son's loud thoughts. He walked over to the pair, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "We need to keep Itsuko close while the Prince is absent."

"She won't like the idea of having to bunk with an elder, even if it is for her own safety." Kenji said.

"True." Saitou agreed "Aoshi is the most powerful of us, but…" His voice lowered. "I don't want her to be around the Dark One for any length of time." He felt shame for not being able to trust their most loyal Carpathian. But he was so close to the edge of Darkness, just being around a female for more that what was comfortable would be enough to push him.

"Nor do I." Kenshin agreed. "She can stay with us, that she can. We are her next of kin and she will feel more comfortable with us."

"You're the one who's gonna have to tell her then, Old Man." Kenji said with a lift of one eyebrow. "Because I sure ain't." No way is he going to risk that kind of wrath. His cousin cared for her independence.

Kenshin smiled and set a hand on the shoulder of his son. "Don't worry. I won't let her hurt you." He laughed as the boy took a swipe at him.

…. . . …

Tokio parked her car against the curb of the street and shut the engine off. She sat in the semi-darkness with the yellow glow of street lamps around her. She wasn't anywhere near Saitou's or her parent's home. She was in the city. The young Carpathian closed her eyes and felt the air shimmer around her and her clothes shifted and changed. A sky blue skirt with a black tank top with a matching sky blue design. Black fingerless gloves that reached her elbow and chunky yet light weight black boots that reached her knee. Her make-up was thick and consisted of blue lipstick, thick eyeliner, neon blue mascara and eyeshadow made up of at least half a dozen different shades of blue.

Her hair was loose and hung pin straight down her back. It glittered in the street light as she swept from the car and across the sidewalk to the sound of the pulsating building. She walked past the line of people that waited to get inside. Up at the double doors three giants in jeans and matching black short-sleeved t-shirts stood like a wall. She flashed them her most genuine smile. The men instantly lit up as they spotted her.

"Hey Tokio, how's the fam?" One asked as the three of them spit like the red sea to allow her to pass.

"Pretty good, Zel. How's the new baby?" She asked back. She didn't really have any sort of relationship with the men. Tokio and Kenji had simply planted false memories of their friendship in their minds and pulled up bit of personal information about each of them. Now they had no idea that the Carpathian twins hardly knew a thing about them. They only knew what they pulled from their minds moments before talking to them.

"She's doing good, getting round and happy." The barrel-chested man said with a proud smile.

"That's great." Tokio replied with a bright smile. "Hey Tai, Hey Yuji, she said to the other two men as they pulled the doors open for her. The music that rattled the building poured out into the street. They nodded their greeting as she quickly slipped into the darkness.

Inside the building, it was like a different world. The music was loud, almost too loud to understand the lyrics. The bass of the music rattled her insides…just the way she liked it. Multi-colored lights blinked in rhythm to the music and laser-lights danced over head in neon greens, blues, and reds. Tokio let out a breath in a contented sigh as she let the mass of dancing bodies swallow her.

She danced.

Tokio closed her eyes as the men and women danced around her, slowly flowing around her like the ebb of a tide. The temperature of the club was on the rise with so many dancing bodies crammed into one spot. Tokio spotted a woman not much older than her that had stripped down to her pokka dotted neon bra and underwear that glowed under the black lights. No one cared, all that mattered here was the music and how it flowed into the body. No one worried about rips in the soul, or lifemates or vampires…all that mattered was the music. Here everything was normal, everything was accepted and everyone was happy. Of course it helped that a good amount of the people dancing were high on ecstasy.

Tokio wasn't sure how much time had past. Two, perhaps three long songs had played when a young man a few years older than her stepped out of the mass of moving bodies. "Hey Tokio, where's your brother?" He asked over the music.

The young woman glanced up at the young man and quickly pulled his name from his mind even though she had seen him here plenty of times. "He had some more important things to do." She pouted just as she should, keeping her body moving with the music, never breaking the spell of her gracefulness.

"What could be so important that he would let you come here alone?" His face pulled disapprovingly.

She shrugged, "I donno" Didn't anyone believe she could take care of herself? Now even humans were questioning her.

"Would it be alright then if I kept you company?" He moved closer still and Tokio could smell his excitement. Tokio was about the refuse his offer when a large hand clasped her shoulder and pulled her to the side. The arm attached to that hand wrapped around her shoulders and she found herself tucked neatly into the side of her lifemate.

Saitou seemed to loom over the young man, yet his face was pleasant looking. "That's alright, she came with me." Saitou glanced down at her and Tokio fought to keep from squirming. "She knows it would be stupid for her to come here alone." He smiled as if they just shared a joke but Tokio knew she was in for it now. The younger male needed no further hints and he bowed his head slightly to Tokio before allowing the crowd to swallow him.

Saitou bent low and brushed his lips against her ear. "I should bend you over my knee and beat you." He whispered, knowing she could hear him over the music. She was making a mockery out of him. Saitou, the near elder Carpathian couldn't control his own lifemate, one that was a fraction of his age and power.

"I guess I would deserve it, how did you find me?" She said, trying not to shiver at the feel of his breath on her neck. She ignored the music as it turned into a slow, pulsating melody. The humans slowed their dancing, taking a breather and taking the chance to press closer. It was hard to ignore it however; Saitou pulled her up tight against his body and he moved in time with the beat of the music.

"It's not difficult to locate my mate." Saitou answered, his face still pressed into her hair, his lips whispering in her ear. "I knew the moment you veered off the path for your parents home and I felt your joy as you entered this place. I was angry at first. But I let myself feel your joy. After the pain of the rip in you soul, I'm happy you have something strong enough to distract you from it." He only wished he could be what distracted her mind.

"The other day you were ranting at us for being here." Tokio accused, though her words were weak for Saitou seemed a natural for moving his body to the rhythm of the music. His hands slowly trailed from her arms to her hips down to her upper thigh and back up again, running across her belly and shoulders, his hands were everywhere as he pressed himself against her back. She let her head fall back to rest against his chest as his hand scorched her skin. Though Carpathians could regulate their body temperature, Tokio let herself experience the rising heat and humidity of the building. Blood tinted sweat started to bead on her forehead and cut trails down the sides of her face. No one would notice, it was too dark and the hypnotic flashing lights made it impossible to see clearly anyways.

Saitou reached around with one arm and wrapped it around her middle, pinning her against him as the humans drew closer. Tokio opened her eyes and glanced up at Saitou, she was surprised to find that he was watching her, and that he to was sweating. His hair clung to his damp face and reflected the flashing lights. He looked positively gorgeous. His eyes were dark with his hunger for her. She could feel his need curling low in her belly like it was her own need.

"Perhaps we should go home." He purred as he pried her hands from his clothes. Tokio didn't even notice that she was gripping him so. She glanced around; knowing none of the human around them could really see them.

"Must we?" she whispered as she turned in his arms and pressed her cheek against his chest. His heart pounded to the beat of the music around them, and she knew her heart followed his rhythm. She knew he didn't like it here. He didn't want _her_ here. Yet at least he was trying to be nice about the way he asked for her to leave. As much as this place took her problems and stress away momentarily, she knew she needed to give Saitou the chance to take her problems away himself. And suddenly for no reason at all, she wanted to be with him. "Alright." She agreed before he could answer her question. She felt him pause at her sudden agreement, but then he took her hand and quickly made his way through the swaying crowd.

… . . …

Tokio turned in the passenger seat to watch Saitou as he handled her car with ease. She had thought hard about the question she wanted to ask, wondering if she really wanted to know. She didn't want to have flashes here and there from his memory, she would rather he tell her himself. So she took a deep breath and organized the words in her head. "Saitou, tell me about your first wife."

Saitou's hands slipped on the steering wheel as his head snapped in her direction. "Yaso?" His eyes went back to the road and after a moment he spoke. "What would you like to know?"

Tokio blinked and turned her eyes to the gently curving road as well. "Just like that? You're willing to surrender information?" She thought he would dance around the subject. Being that he had no idea that she knew that he was ever married before. She didn't think he would be so calm about it. Damn males and their emotions.

Saitou smiled softly just a tip of his lips. "Tokio you could know every detail if you went into my mind."

"I'd rather not know every…detail." The girl replied. The last thing she wanted was to stumble on every intimate detail. "I didn't know you had a wife or even that you had a daughter." She paused as she felt his surprise. "I just want to know about them." She added softly, her head tipped down as she gazed at her hands in her lap.

Saitou was silent for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. "I was there when Yaso was born. She was the daughter of a close human family that had served Prince Hiko for generations. They protected us, we protected them."

"Like Yahiko." Tokio offered.

Saitou nodded. "Yahiko of course is close like family, but very much the same idea. Yaso was a sickly child. She was much smaller than the average child in height and weight. I'm not sure why, but I took it upon myself to take particular care of her." They stopped at a red light and Saitou glanced over, Tokio wasn't looking at him, but was absorbing the information he surrendered. "I was pretty much lost to the world at the time. The darkness was all around me. As a child, Yaso brought me a gift…moments of happiness, small times when the evil wasn't pressing me as hard. I knew that Yaso wasn't my lifemate, at the time we had no idea humans could possibly become lifemates. But I was dead set on marring the girl once she became of age. I knew I had to do something to save myself."

"No one liked the idea very well, huh?" Tokio asked.

"Not really. The human family was happy that their daughter would marry. But Hiko was a bit upset that I was going to use the woman to save myself. It was too much like bending the rules."

Tokio nodded. "Were you upset, when she died?"

"In a way. I wasn't upset in the traditional way. I was upset for myself, but I had a daughter, and the joy of her birth overshadowed Yaso's death. Even so, I was an emotional wreck. My wife's death and my daughter's birth caused my emotions to surface and with no lifemate to help me control them…." He paused as the memory flooded to the front of his mind. Uncontrolled rage, the wooden bed splintering and a wounded baby. He recalled Hiko's voice ordering him to the ground. Earth raining down upon him as his body fell into the death-like sleep.

Tokio could see these memories like they were her own and she winced. "So you had to go to ground?" She skipped around the subject of how he had harmed his newborn in his rage. She knew it was a mistake; somehow she couldn't picture Saitou harming any female, especially a baby.

"For months." Saitou confirmed. The road eased into the country, they were closer to home now and the car grew dark from the lack of streetlights. "By the time I was healed enough to leave the earth, months had gone by. Camilla had been sent to the homeland to be raised by a childless Carpathian couple."

"Were you upset that you couldn't raise her yourself?" Tokio could feel the ache in his heart and it hurt her to know he was hurting. "I'm sorry for making you dig up these memories." She said with regret.

Saitou rested a warm hand on her knee. "I'm more than happy to share them with you, Sweetheart, you're helping me heal." He flashed her a rare smile. "I was upset that I had lost my daughter, but I knew I could never care for her in the way she needed. I was broken, emotionless; I knew only anger and a child could never thrive with that. I knew she would be better off with others. She would have a mother, which Carpathian children need desperately."

Her thoughts went to her Aunt Tomoe, who Kenshin raised along with Sanosuke. How her father was able to raise two small children…it was beyond her. Her aunt was only a baby, and had to have been very frail.

"Your father is remarkable in his strong empathy." Saitou answered her thoughts. "He was still a very young fledgling and still had his emotions. His empathy helped him tune into the needs of his small charges."

Tokio twisted her hands together in her lap. "It must have been very hard back then." She whispered. "I wished I could have been there to help."

Saitou moved his hand from her knee and covered her wringing hands. "You're here now, and that's the way it should be." He said solemnly. "Perfectly timed, I've always had faith that my lifemate would come when ready and not a moment sooner. I learned my lesson…by trying to cheat the system; I was the one that got cheated."

Tokio turned her hands so that she could wrap her fingers with Saitou's "You haven't traveled much. Do you miss Camilla?" Her father had said he use to travel often but stopped after she was born.

"I do. We keep in touch through e-mail and phone calls. But things like that are never enough for Carpathians. Once things settle down, I want to take you to see her." He said proudly.

"Eh?" Suddenly the thought of seeing her much older step-daughter made her stomach twist with nervousness and Saitou tried to quell her unrest.

"She will be more than happy to meet you. She would be thrilled to hear that her father found his savior."

… . . ...

The rest of the car ride was spent mostly in silence as Tokio shifted through her feelings. Days before, she would have been disgusted with Saitou's choice to use the poor human woman to save himself, effectively breaking the Carpathian law of protecting women, especially human women. But now that she had this rip in her soul and had a taste of the darkness, and the voices, she wasn't altogether sure she wouldn't have done the same to end the despair.

It explained the anger and the bad mood Saitou had always been in. Cheated of his child and having his transgressions thrown in his face every time he was around someone that was there to witness his downfall. Suddenly Tokio felt the car slow. She glanced up and saw that they had pulled into her parent's estate. She quickly scanned the home but the familiar auras were absent. Most likely everyone had gone out find a donor. "What are we doing here?" She asked as Saitou suddenly vanished from the car and reappeared outside to open the car door for her.

"Your mind is a mass of thoughts, perhaps your duties call out to you?"

"My gems?" Tokio suddenly wanted to perch herself in front of a flaming torch with a rod of metal, with music in the background and the soft whispers from the jewels she worked with. Inspiration had suddenly hit her and hit her hard. Ideas of desperation, rebirth, regret.

'_Among other duties.'_ Saitou purred sinfully into her mind and Tokio quickly stalked to the side of the home before Saitou could see the blush crawling up her face. Of course the male would bring up the fact that he has yet to bed her. Tokio carefully guarded her thoughts and she stalked into the forest with Saitou silently following behind her. Perhaps she should get it over with; it might just calm him down. Not that the act wouldn't be enjoyable. Tokio was almost a hundred percent sure she would enjoy it.

Saitou paused, as scent in the air caught his attention and instantly a warning went up in his mind. The scent was thick, but stale, as if it had been a few days old. But they were only here a short time ago. Saitou turned to his lifemate as she continued on down the path. Could this be the same thing that he was hunting down earlier that night?

Almost as soon as her small workshop came into view Tokio felt a large uncomfortable lump slam into her stomach. Instantly Saitou was at her side and had hold of her wrist. "Sweetheart, I think we should just go home."

"Tokio blinked as the lump in her stomach grew heavier. "What do you mean, we just got here, this was your idea." She rambled, noticing that his eyes were looking past her to the workshop. The male's breaths were deep; he was searching for a scent. "What's going on?" Her heart raced to match his pounding away in his chest.

"Something isn't right here." He admitted, his hand on her wrist kept her from moving an inch away from his side. "It's not safe."

The lump made her stomach cramp and her body was flooded with icy fear. "The workshop isn't safe?" She turned to look at the small one room building. It looked normal in the moonlight. Her eyes focused, making the light bright as day. She saw nothing wrong. But with a deep breath, she caught the scent of something that made her head pound in warning. It was acidic, burning her nose and lungs. "Ugh, what is that?" She pressed closer to Saitou.

Saitou's eyes scanned the area, seeing nothing, he heard nothing. He could only smell the evidence and feel the trace that was left behind. "Something evil has been here." He muttered to himself. "But I can't tell how long ago."

"What? Here at my workshop?" her precious projects. The creations she had fashioned for her clients. People in need who needed her help. Had something contaminated her gifts?! A cry escaped her throat, startling both her and Saitou as she slipped from his grip and darted off to the workshop. She didn't care if it wasn't safe. The items in her shop were important to people. She was their caretaker.

"Tokio, wait!" Saitou called, but Tokio ignored him as she used her superhuman speed to run to the door. But she wasn't fast enough, Saitou reached it well before she did and he pushed the door open to check for intruders. It moved only an inch before it fell from its hinges. Her lifemate's large form blocked her view but Tokio wormed her away past him and stumbled into her workshop. The sight inside ripped a scream from Tokio.

* * *

A/n Arg, I have something about cliffhangers, I'm sure my long time readers hate me for it. hehe. So I wonder what's lurking around out there. Kenshin seems to have an idea but Saitou is in the dark. Mysterious if you ask me. I've just realized that this story is almost over. I'm not sure how many more chapters are left, but it's getting pretty close. I've only just started the second chapter of Aoshi's story So I had better get on the ball here huh?

Thanks for reading everyone! Reviews are loved.


	8. The attack

A/n Hi everyone. Boy I had a heck of a time with this chapter. I worked and worked and it still didn't turn out just the way I wanted it too. I wasn't going to post it until it was right but I started to get the feeling that I was just going to mess it up if I kept working on it, so I decided to just post it while you can still understand it.

I know the reason; there is only one chapter left. And I always have a very hard time the closer I get to the end. I'm just going to have to force myself to type this last chapter. Most of you know I've already started Aoshi's story and I'm very excited about it and can't wait to start posting it. Okay, I'm going to stop talking and let you get to the story.

Disclaimer. I don't own Kenshin or Feehan.

* * *

Her workshop was destroyed. Utterly ransacked. The dozens of plastic shelves and drawers had been pulled, their priceless contents poured out and scattered about the floor. The light fixture over head hung on its wires, the electric light flickered, causing the spilled gems to blink up at her. Her wall of finished work was in shambles and splinters, the jewelry on them was a tangled mess. Tools were thrown about. Embedded into the walls and work tables. Stone and shell pendants were shattered into pebbles that crunched under her feet. Thousands of glass beads had been tossed to the ground and they had been trampled into dust. The bust that held her newest gift to the expectant mother was toppled over on the table. The necklace was ruined. Its delicate handmade links were snapped, the web of chain was tangled into an impossible knot. The gems had been pried from their fixtures only to be ruined. They lay at her feet, along with one of her work hammers. The gems had been smashed. Their fine facets cracked, the life inside of them dead.

The walls were covered in claw marks. In some spots, large chunks of the wall had been ripped out. Saitou stepped in after her and Tokio watched him in shocked silence as he lifted the door and set it back on its hinges. A hard tap with his fist secured the pins back into place and the door swung freely once again. The back of the door was also covered in claw marks. They weren't very deep but the hard wood was splintered nonetheless.

Tokio crouched down to gather up the tangled web of metal wire that use to be a work of art. "What…what happened?" Tokio swung her wild, tear filled eyes to her lifemate even as her hands gave up the fight to loosen the knotted metal strands. She covered her nose with the back of one hand. "That smell. What is it?" It smelled like something dead that was left in the garbage.

Saitou's anger made his tremble. His hands were clenched into fists and his jaw was set, sending the muscles in his face twitching. "I don't know." He said between his teeth. The scent was nothing that he had smelled before. And he was insane at the thought that he couldn't identify the thing that dared destroy his lifemate's work. A simple cleansing spell would never scrub the building of such evil and negative energy. The very walls had been contaminated. The only thing to do now was rip the building down and build a new shop.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Tokio surged up to her feet. He was supposed to be her protector. He was hundreds of years old. He had been in many wars. His anger flooded her and being a Carpathian female, she was unable to handle the wave of fury. Her body started to shake. "How can you not know?"

"It is a scent I haven't experienced before." His anger was affecting his mate and Saitou tried to swallow it. But as he glanced around at the destruction of his mate's delicate gifts, fury boiled low in his belly until his whole chest was nearly bursting with a need for revenge, violent revenge.

Tokio's head started to pound with the force of Saitou's endless anger. Her nose burned with the strangers scent and a lump formed in her throat. A choked-backed sob escaped her and she crouched back down over her scattered gems and allowed the tears to flow. These human were counting on her to bring them peace, to ease some of their suffering, and to protect them from the evil that hunted them. It would take weeks for her to start over and weeks more to finish the jewelry with the same quality spells weaved into every piece. These people didn't have that kind of time. With her vision blinded by red tears, she reached out to scoop up the scattered beads and gemstones. There were more than she could possibly hold but she wanted them all off the floor.

Saitou's hands lifted her from the floor, causing her to spill the beads and stones. "No!" she screamed, reaching out for her precious medium.

"It's alright Tokio; we'll clean it up together." Saitou felt helpless, unable to stop her tears as Tokio thrashed a moment more before falling limp in his grasp. She sobbed and pressed her face into his chest. In that moment Saitou's anger ebbed away to be replaced with a sudden burning urge to take his lifemate's pain away. Like a heavy weight in his belly that weighed him down, Tokio's grief surged to the front of his mind. He could clean her shop and build her a new one near his house, one that was inside his safeguards.

"Tokio!" Shouted a voice outside and the newly replaced shop door flew open. Standing there was Kenji who didn't look shocked at all at the state of his sister's shop.

"Kenji." Tokio's head snapped up from Saitou's shirt. It was the first time brother and sister had seen each other since the rip in their soul. Saitou dropped his arms and allowed his lifemate to leave his side. Tokio darted to her brother and the sibling embraced. She couldn't hold back the flood of emotion.

Saitou witnessed something remarkable. As his raven-haired mate wrapped her arms around her crimson-haired brother, a look of peace and tranquility passed over both their faces as they pressed their foreheads together. For one small moment their souls were whole once again. Saitou couldn't help but watch in fascination and a bit of jealousy as Kenji calmed his sister with a simple squeeze of his arms around her shoulders. But he was eternally grateful that he was able to take Tokio's pain away.

"Where's mom and dad?" She sniffed into his shirt.

"They went to help Itsuko pack some things." Kenji answered, petting her hair.

"Huh? Why?" She pulled away from Kenji. "What's going on?" She looked at Saitou then back to her brother.

"You know the news that's going around? About something attacking children? Well it's in this area now. We think it's a vampire so we're going to have Itsuko stay with us." Kenji answered. "Obviously this thing is closer than we thought." He said as he glanced around her shop.

"There's humans in this area." Tokio gasped. "Do you think that a vampire did this?" She held her hand out to her shop, tears returning to her face."

"Quite possible." Saitou said. "The scent in here is strange and similar to the scent I picked up when we were tracking."

Tokio nodded softly and returned to the embrace of her brother. Kenji petted her hair in a brotherly fashion. "Tokio,…I feel terrible for what I did."

Saitou glanced around, pretending to be looking for clues. He was trying to give the siblings a feeling of privacy while Kenji apologized.

"The rip?" Tokio asked. And Kenji nodded. She didn't need her bond with him to feel his torment. "It's alright."

"I thought it was the best thing for us. I just couldn't push you far enough away. I still heard what you thought; I could feel your emotions." His purple-blue eyes glanced at Saitou for a moment before swinging back to her. "I felt nearly everything you did. No matter how deep and far I pushed; I couldn't give you the privacy you needed. But had I thought that cutting out bond would rip your soul," red tears started to pool in his eyes. He didn't blink them away so they simply dripped from his eyelashes, "I never would have done it." he said in a strangled whisper as he lowered his head.

"Hush, Kenji." Tokio dipped her head to catch his eyes.

"I didn't mean to cause you any harm." He blurted as it the words had been a heavy weight. "I just wanted you to be happy."

"Kenji, it's alright. Okay, I forgive you." Without their close bond, Tokio was suddenly at a loss as to how to comfort her brother. What once had been second nature now felt like a struggle. So instead she pulled him into their familiar embrace and tried to wash him with feelings of love and forgiveness. If she could only establish a small part of their bond once again.

Tokio froze, the idea rushed at her so hard and fast she was nearly staggering with its simplicity. She glanced over at Saitou and found him wide eyed and just as rooted to the ground as she was.

'_I'm not sure but it should work._' Saitou said, reading her worries. His eyes softened and he actually smiled gently. _'Try it. It may be good for both of you._' He wasn't fond of the idea, but if it would help his lifemate feel even the slightest more normal then he was willing to let her try almost anything.

Before she could change her mind Tokio found the small throb in her brother's neck. Her lips parted and her fangs slipped easily through his skin. Kenji staggered, leaning heavily on his sister for a moment before he found his legs. Instinctively his body went rigid and his eyes clenched shut as his teeth clamped together. Several red tears escaped and fell on Tokio's shoulder and back. "Tokio?" he gasped as she pulled his powerful male Carpathian blood into her body.

'_We can have part of our bond back, Kenji.'_ She whispered into his mind using the common path so he could hear her. _'Share blood with me Kenji and we can be connected once again, even if it's only a fraction of what we had.'_ She pulled away and licked the wound to heal it. _'Please.'_ She begged. '_I want us to be happy again._'

Kenji bit back a sob and pulled away enough to gaze at his sister. "You promised, years ago, that you would never leave me." He breathed a soft laugh. "I was the one that ended up leaving you. You always stuck up for me and I repay you by ripping a hole in your soul." And still she wanted to have a connection to him. How forgiving and understanding she was. He was lucky to have her for a sister.

"Big brother." Tokio protested but Kenji hushed her with a gentle raise of his hand. He smiled softly and dipped his head, using one hand to tip her chin up and to the side.

Saitou jerked his head to the side as he saw Kenji's fangs flash against his lifemate's neck. His hands clenched into fists so tightly he felt blood drip from where his sharp nails broke through his skin. It was impossibly hard to stand yards away while another male fed off his woman, even it he was her brother, even if it was for their own good mental health. Then in an instant it was over. He felt it when Kenji pulled away and seal the wound he had created. Now they had a blood bond. Not as strong as the bond they had before, but the normal bond most Carpathian's had with their kin. He took one shuddering breath before turning around to find them hugging, their bodies shaking with silently laughter. It had worked. Tokio pulled back slightly to look at him.

Tokio smiled brightly at Saitou. "I can't believe-"

'_Saitou, Kenji!'_ boomed a voice in all three of their minds. Kenji winced in surprised and untangled his long arms from his sister.

"It's Aoshi." Kenji said unnecessarily.

Tokio glanced from one male to the other as their eyes went distant. Aoshi had adjusted his speech so that only Saitou and Kenji could hear. She waited, frustrated that the Dark One was sparing her. But almost instantly Saitou was relaying the message Aoshi was feeding him.

'_A human residence not far from here has been attacked. The humans are wounded a male and female and one child. Sanosuke stumbled upon the scene while making his rounds. The scent of whatever attacked them is very fresh. Megumi and Sanosuke are staying to heal and protect the humans. Kenji, your father and I are to spread out and catch this thing, whatever it is.' _

Saitou hard eyes focused once again and he jerked his gaze to his lifemate. "Your mother and cousin are safe in Sanosuke's home. You are to stay in here. Your father's safeguards are strong, you will be protected."

"I agree." Kenji added, anxious yet nervous to get out and get hunting. His hand absentmindedly reached up to rub the spot his sister had bit him.

A sudden feeling of unease settled deep in Tokio's chest and all she could do was numbly nod her head. The males walked her. Kenji in front and Saitou behind her, all the way back to her parents' home. All of a sudden the night seemed dangerous and unsettling. What once was welcoming in its mysteriousness was now a place where monsters lurked. Somewhere, not far from here, a family lay hurt and afraid. They reached the house and silently walked into the kitchen. Saitou wrapped his arms around Tokio and hugged her tightly.

"Stay here. We'll be back soon. This thing can't be too far." At this he set his hands on her shoulders and pushed her down to sit in a chair at the kitchen table.

'_Watch Kenji, please. Don't let him do something stupid.' _She just got him back, she wouldn't be able to stand life if something happened to him.

Saitou smiled and touched his fingertips to her cheek. _'I'll watch him, Sweetheart.'_

'_No I mean it.'_ They had no idea what was out there. And Kenji hardly knew what he was doing.

'_Sweetheart. My word is law, trust me. I give you my word that will not let anything happen to your brother.' _

Tokio relaxed slightly. Saitou would protect Kenji as well as he would protect her. _'Just don't let him know you're watching him. He'll never forgive his meddling sister._' Tokio tried to smile at her own little joke but her stomach was starting to cramp so tightly. She glanced over at her brother, who had his eyes glued out the window. No doubt he didn't want to witness their longing looks for each other even though he seemed to have accepted their bonding.

The fear in her grew and she thought she would become sick. _'Please be careful, Saitou.'_ She turned her eyes back to her lifemate. She couldn't lose him; not now, not when things just started to get better. As much as the death of Kenji would hurt her, if anything happened to Saitou…it would destroy her.

Saitou only smiled. _'Trust in me.' _He said simply before dipping his head and placing a chaste kiss on her lips. A kiss that burned her skin and left her wanting more. But Saitou stood and stalked over to Kenji. "We have to meet up with Aoshi at his house. There we are to form a plan to scrub this forest and find this thing."

Kenji looked up at Saitou and nodded, he then turned his hard purple eyes to his sister and he pointed at her. "Stay." Was all he said before vanishing into mist. Saitou dissolved into mist as well and the mixed colorful particles filtered out of the house and into the sky.

Tokio felt herself shut out of not only Saitou's mind, but Kenji's as well. The feeling was strange…empty. As if someone hallowed her out and now she was nothing but a shell. _'Saitou?'_ she whispered in her mind, knowing he was not going to answer her. He had blocked their connection to spare her any violence he might encounter. Her hands on top of the table clasped each other and she twisted her fingers together, suddenly feeling very nervous.

This was what her mother had explained to her, the separation of lifemates. It made you sick, uncomfortable, and made you think irrationally. And that it would only get worse the longer the couple was together. While she and Saitou had only been bonded for a few days, she could hardly imagine what it must be like for her mother or for Tomoe for that matter. She and Saitou hadn't even completed their bond yet. They still had to bed each other; sex would make the bond concrete. Tokio took a breath. She had to be strong, she had to.

… . . …

Sano carried a small five year-old girl in his arms and set her sleeping form down on the sofa. Megumi had healed the bruise to her brain that had sent the girl into a coma. Now the child slept, healed as if nothing had happened. Her parents, however, fared far worse than a mean bump to the head. Sanosuke turned and took in the sight once more. The house was torn to shreds. Even the sofa the girl was resting on was gashed right down the center, cream colored foam poked out of the rip in the fabric. Claw marks dug into the wall, right through the sheetrock and into the wooden studs behind them.

Blood…it was everywhere.

It came from the female. No doubt she had bore the brunt of the attack to protect her child. Sano struggled not to let anger grow in him. He had to keep his thoughts and feelings in check with his lifemate working on healing the poor woman. Megumi kneeled on the blood soaked carpet with her hands over the massive wound in the human's middle. His lifemate was as transparent as a ghost as she worked. Fixing everything she could. The human male lay only feet away. He too was badly hurt but Megumi had spent enough time stabilizing him so that she could work on the child and the woman without worry.

Sano worked in way slowly around the house. Whatever it was, it was long gone for sure, but perhaps there was clue as to what it was. A vampire wouldn't just attack and leave behind bleeding humans. Vampires were gluttons, and so much blood left behind…it was impossible to see a vampire doing this and not draining them dry. Especially the virgin blood of the child. It was prized and no vampire would pass up the opportunity to drain the child until he was drunk off of it.

As Sano wandered deeper into the house the scent of the attacker grew thick. It was almost like the stench of vampire, but something was off. The stink wasn't as horrible as a vampire; this scent was mild compared to it. Like meat that had gone bad, as opposed to meat that had been rotting for a few days. He made his way up the steps to the second story. The male came to a door and he pushed it open. It was the master bedroom. The covers on the bed hand been thrown back. Obviously they had jumped out of bed when whatever it was had attacked their house. Sano slowly backed up and stepped further down the hall, the door across the way was hanging by one hinge. With a sinking feeling Sano glanced inside. Dolls and stuffed animals lay everywhere, blood was everywhere. This must have been where the creature had attacked the parents when they found it in the child's room. The trail of blood down the steps told him they must of fell, or were thrown down the steps

Sano stooped to pick up a clean stuffed kitten to give the child while she slept. But just then a door creaked and Sano jolted upright. His power flaring out. A door at the end of the hallway creaked as it slowly opened and closed. Sano took a second to check Megumi. She was silently healing, safe and sound. The male walked across the carpeted hallway and slowly pushed open the swaying door. There Sano found the cause of the moving door. Wind blowing in from a shattered window. A blinking lamp lay on the ground, its sky blue shade crushed as if stepped on. The flashing naked bulb was throwing strange shadows on the wall. Inside the room was a sight that made Sano's blood freeze in his veins.

The male rushed into the room, ignoring the mess of torn curtains and glass and reached the bars of the small maple wood crib. Inside the crib…was nothing. He took a deep breath and caught the scent of another child, thick with the smell of talcum powder. "God." Sano said to himself, his head snapped to broken window. The jagged shards still clinging to the window frame were smeared with thick, viscous blood. Sano reached out and touched the bloody glass. The blood was mostly dry, with a few thick drops still a bit tacky. He touched his fingertip to his tongue and instantly his stomach revolted and he had to spit the taste of the blood from his mouth. It didn't burn like vampire blood but it defiantly wasn't human blood. It tasted like rotten meat, just like the scent that was left behind.

Sanosuke glanced back at the crib. Whatever it was must have escaped through this window after the parents confronted it. "Megumi!" Sano shouted, turning and pounding back down the stairs. His lifemate glanced up from her work just as he reached the bottom. "Megumi, there's a crib upstairs, I can smell a second child. I think whatever this is must have took a baby."

Megumi's eyes went wide. "I thought so." She said softly.

"What?"

"Healing the woman, I found evidence of childbirth. It must be a newborn. Sano! You have to tell the others that this thing might have a baby with it." She jumped to her feet. "We must find it!"

But Sanosuke was already a step ahead. _'Kitsune, go back to healing the humans, don't worry, we'll find this thing.'_ He waited for a moment while Megumi turned now to the male human and he dove into himself to find his connection with Aoshi. '_We have a problem.'_ He said, interrupting anything the Dark One was doing.

'_Elaborate.'_ Aoshi returned simply, his voice flat yet beautiful.

'_I believe whatever this thing is might have a newborn human baby.'_ There was a moment of silence that nerved Sano.

'_I thought so.'_ He finally said.

'_That's what Megumi said, Aoshi, what's going on?_' He had the sudden feeling that he as being ignored but then Aoshi spoke, covering all connections he had with the other males. Saitou, Kenshin and Kenji must already be out searching.

'_We have to find this attacker as soon as possible. If it in fact has a human child, the child is in grave danger, if it is not already dead.' _

* * *

a/n This was one of the shortest chapters ever in this series. I could have gone back to add some filler, but it would seem very useless and out of place. So I figured this was the better way to go. Egads I can't believe that the next chapter is (possibly) the end. Thanks for reading, reviews are loved.


	9. Accepting

A/n Hi everyone! Thanks for all the great reviews.

Wow so this is the last chapter. Insane huh? This story did end up being one chapter shorter than I had planed on making it. In fact I never planed on writing a Saitou/Tokio story for this series, their bonding was suppose to be implied in the Aoshi/Misao story. But I felt the need to offer my readers there story. It was also a challenge to myself to write a RK character that never appeared in the manga or anime. Plus there's not a lot of Saitou stories out there, and that's just a shame. It's been a fun, simple, if a bit short ride.

Disclaimer, I don't own Kenshin or Feehan.

* * *

Tokio tapped her fingers on the table and she rocked slightly in her chair. Her stomach felt like it was in knots, her head pounded and she had a burning in the back of her throat as if she was about to vomit. And it had only been a little over half an hour. What was going on out there? Were they on the trail of this thing or did they have no clue where to start looking? Was the human family okay, or did one or all of them die? How was Kenji doing? And more importantly, was Saitou alright? Was he hurt somewhere? How was he taking this separation? Most likely far better than she was.

Tokio sighed and sat back in the high-back dining room chair. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. It worked for a moment but as soon as she opened her eyes her jitters returned. Without thinking about it, she jumped up from her chair and stalked around the kitchen area and then into the living room. She glanced at every object on her way, trying to distract her mind. The idea that her lifemate, father and brother were out there hunting some unknown thing was worse than if she knew they were hunting a vampire. At least they knew everything about vampires; they had killed a fair share of them. But this mystery monster…they didn't even know its scent. Tokio wandered from room to room and then upstairs.

She went to her room. She swiftly graduated from a room above ground to needing a room below the earth. Now that she was an adult, and had the blood of a powerful lifemate flowing inside her, rest above ground would be close to impossible. She smiled slightly as she glanced at all her childish knick-nacks. A brown teddy-bear Kenji gave her a few years back sat on her bed. Posters of half naked human males were taped to the walls right next to the posters of unicorns and chubby child angles. It was amazing how fast she grew out of her room. An empty, blank room would be just as nice as long as Saitou was there with her.

Thinking about Saitou again shoved all her worries right to the front of her mind and she gave a frustrated shout and stomped her foot before grabbing the teddy-bear and crushing it in her arms before throwing herself on her bed.

… . . …

Tokio had wandered from her room to her parent's personal studies. Her father's was decorated with various samurai weapon and armor, held a small library's worth of books and had a small fireplace. Her mother worked with paint. Painting various strange anatomy pictures, having really never gave up the idea of being a nurse. She had taught Yahiko all she knew about swordsmanship a few years ago and needed a second hobby. Her father had taken over teaching Yahiko. Advancing his skills more than any teacher could.

She avoided Kenji's room. One, because it was his private space, much like her workshop, and two, because she didn't want to be surrounded by him knowing that he was out there hunting some strange, unknown and highly likely, dangerous thing. She was about halfway back down the stairs when she was hit with the worst possible cramps in her belly. Tokio gasped at the pain, nearly doubling over from it and she had to grab the railing for support. What was this? What was happening!? Her mind flew to the possibilities as blood started to bead on her forehead like sweat. Was Saitou hurt? Was Kenji hurt? Did someone die? Instantly she knew something terrible had to have happened, she was sure it wasn't the separation anxiety talking to her. She just knew Saitou had to be in trouble.

Agonizingly slow, she was able to make it down the steps without tumbling. She clenched the walls in her desperation to stay on her feet. Her stomach felt as if it was being stabbed with a red-hot poker. It felt as if something inside her had caught on fire and surely had exploded in her body. In the kitchen Tokio spotted the phone. She needed her mother. Tokio and Kaoru shared a slight bond, being mother and child, but they were too far apart for her to reach her mother on any telepathic path. They had never shared blood, so their bond was weak and wasn't strong with the miles between them. Holding herself up on the countertop, Tokio snatched the phone from its holder and quickly dialed Sanosuke's number and prayed that her mother was still there.

She didn't have to pray for long, the phone was picked up seconds after the first ring.

"Tokio? Are you okay?" Her mother said, somehow knowing it was her.

"No" Tokio panted, suddenly unable to suck in enough air. "I'm in too much pain, something must be wrong." She heard her mother take a slow deep breath.

"I know it's hard, but just breathe and think positive thoughts. It's normal to feel this way."

"No, mom this isn't normal." She clamped her teeth together as another wave of pain had her legs trembling under her. "It hurts so badly. You said it was more worry and some uncomfortable feelings, this is unbearable." She gazed down at the speckled white countertop and tried to concentrate on the blue speckled pattern to take her mind off the stabbing that now moved deeper into her body. "Maybe because of the rip in my soul, maybe it makes it hurt more."

Her mother was talking, but suddenly Tokio wasn't paying any attention. The clean white countertop was now speckled with drops of blood. Her blood. Tokio touched her face, feeling the dripping blood from her nose. Astonished, Tokio pulled her hand away to see the blood trail down her fingers. What the..?

"Tokio? Did you hear me?" Her mother said, Tokio had pulled the receiver away from her ear.

"I'm bleeding." She said, returning the phone in place.

"What!?"

How could her mother sound so surprised and yet so clam? "I have a nosebleed." Her pain was at maximum, the only reason she was still on her feet was because she was so shocked to find blood dripping from her nose.

"It's a warning." Her mother said, the edge to her voice nerved Tokio. She knew her mother was trying to be calm and rational. But it was lost on Tokio, she could hear her worry.

"Tokio, the safe room your father has in the basement, remember? I want you to lock yourself up okay. I'm going to get Sano."

Tokio's heart was racing. "What's going on?" But suddenly a figure crashed against the large windows only feet away from her. Tokio nearly screamed, almost dropping the phone. The figure was deathly white, with black, wet looking hair about its face. One look at the creature and Tokio did scream. Its mouth split its face almost ear to ear and impossibly large spike-like teeth jutted from said mouth like some deep-water monster. Large, black soulless eyes gazed in at her.

… . ….

"Tokio! Honey what…" Kaoru shouted into the phone but an image so vivid and sharp flashed into her mind. A monster with white, slick looking skin and countless teeth jutting out and eyes that were wet and jet black. Kaoru dropped the phone, screaming as the image burned itself into her brain. Pain washed over her. Her baby was in trouble.

"Aunt Kaoru? Itsuko rushed over, hearing Kaoru's shout of surprise.

… . . …

The phone went dead and Tokio simply dropped it to the ground. Her eyes never leaving the figure. Even though it was looking in at her, it didn't seem to see her and slowly it stepped back. Its arms were boney and each long finger ended with wicked looking, claw-like nails. Tokio couldn't help but step closer to the window and the monster retreated. It had something, something in one hand. Tokio pressed her face to the glass and cupped her hands around her eyes to shield the glass from the light. The thing in its grasp was wiggling weakly. Was it some sort of animal? Tokio tried to take a closer look, but her powers were still limited in her young age.

But the small thing let out the tell-tale wail. It was a baby.

… . . …

Kaoru punched in Megumi's cell phone number. Thanking the gods that the lady doctor refused to give up conventional means of communication. Cell phones had just started to become popular and they were still trying to talk the males into getting them so that they could stay in contact. But the males were being stubborn.

"Sanosuke." Said a voice on the phone. Megumi must still be busy healing.

"Sano!" Kaoru nearly sobbed into the phone; at her side her niece was wringing her hands.

"Missy? What's going on?"

"Tokio called me from my house. Something terrible is happening, I think the thing the men are hunting must be there!"

A string of violent swearing came over the phone, then, "don't worry, I'll get the others over there, you stay put." Then the line went dead.

… . . …

The tiny human baby had one claw stabbed into its side. It went all the way through and poked out the back of the baby by a good few inches. Its blue one-piece was stained with blood. Terror for herself gave way to fear for the baby, then that swiftly gave way to gut-wrenching, boiling hot anger. It took all Tokio had to not punch through the window.

Carpathians males are born with the instinct to fight and protect females and any innocence. Carpathians females were born to heal, create...and to protect children. A maternal instinct to protect the helpless infant was so strong it overrode Tokio's fear of her own life. All that matter was that baby. The pain was tucked away in her mind; she wiped the blood from her face as she stalked out of the house and into the back yard only yards away from the slowly retreating intruder. Its naked white form was just about to reach the forest when Tokio acted.

She vanished and appeared in front of the monster. The creature's only show of surprise was the widening of its eyes. It turned, as if calmly trying to walk around the new obstacle. Tokio dropped and swept one leg out and kicked the legs of the monster out from under it. The creature went down and Tokio, driven by such anger, kicked the creature in the face. She could feel the hard ridged of its teeth through her shoe. She took only a moment to realize that the monster was female. Though if it had once been human or not, Tokio didn't care. The monster was stunned and Tokio pinned its arm down with her foot while she carefully slid the wailing baby free of the claw that was stabbed in him.

As soon as Tokio had the infant in her arms, the monster changed. No longer was it passive and uncaring. As soon as the baby was free from its grasp, the monster gave a scream. A gurgling loud shriek, like a pig. The creature jumped up, surprisingly nimble and lunged at Tokio, clawed hands reaching for her. The young female clutched the infant to her chest and darted into the woods. She could hear the thing chase her, easily weaving around trees. Tokio stole a look over her shoulder. The monster was like a white ghost, chasing her around the trees with its arms outstretched, claws glittering black in the moonlight.

'_Tokio!'_ Shouted a voice in her head, Saitou_. 'Get away from it, now!'_

'_What the hell do you think I'm doing?!'_ Tokio shouted back, though she sounded angry, relief flooded her. Saitou was alright, he was alive and well. '_What is it?_' she leaped over a fallen log as agile as a gazelle, and heard the creature fall across the log.

'_It's a vampire. Get the hell out of there.' _

A vampire? The surprise brought Tokio to a stand still. "But you said it wasn't a vampire" She said out loud.

'_Run!'_ Saitou barked and Tokio dashed away as the vampire staggered back to her feet. _'It's a female vampire. A vampire tried to turn her but normal humans can't be changed, they lose their mind and go insane. If they live some go wild and become child eaters, they live off children. I'm not far, only a few miles. You must keep away from it until I get there._'

Tokio fell into a slight clearing and found herself looking at the back wall of her shop. Suddenly oriented as to where she was, she ran around the building and threw open the door. As soon as she stepped in, hands reached out from behind and shoved Tokio hard. The young Carpathian twisted, landing hard on her shoulder on the mess of stones and beads but was able to protect the baby. Tokio flipped around to find the vampire rushing into the door. With a shout, Tokio flung out one arm and the hardwood door slammed shut in the monster's face and locked. It rattled as the creature tore at it with her claws

"Oh, God." Tokio climbed to her feet, keeping a sure foot on the mess on the floor. "Safeguards, safeguards…come on Tokio." The door wasn't going to hold but her mind went blank and she suddenly couldn't remember any safeguards.

'_Come on Dummy!'_ she heard Kenji shout in her mind. _'How many times do I need to show you?!'_

"Stop screaming at me!" she shouted over the shrieking of the female vampire as it ripped at the door. But suddenly she felt Saitou push far into her mind, further than she had ever allowed him before. Suddenly her body didn't belong to her, she felt and saw her hand move in the complicated and delicate pattern of weaving spells. Carpathian words slipped from her lips and a rush of whispers. Words she didn't know but somehow understood. Then it was done, the door crackled with the safeguard and the creature rammed into it, setting it off. Tokio winced as the vampire shrieked in pain but the monster threw herself against the door over and over again.

Tokio climbed to her feet and quickly checked the baby. It was a tiny newborn boy. The stab wound was slowly dripping with blood but the baby's lethargy told that he had been bleeding slowly for a while. Quickly she bent over the baby and placed her mouth over the wound and then the exit wound, her saliva helped stop the bleeding and the wounds slowly closed. But the deep part of the injury was beyond her weak abilities. She was a child in Carpathian standards and she wasn't gifted with healer abilities. She ignored the banging at the door and clutched the baby to her chest, wrapping her love and caring around the small body. He was so weak now he hardly cried or fussed.

Then there was silence, for one moment Tokio thought perhaps the vampire had lost interest. But the banging returned, at one of the high windows. The glass was thick but still breakable. The monster glared down at her as she clutched to the wall like a giant spider. Tomoe shrank back with the baby clutched to her chest. That vampire was going to have to pry the baby from her cold dead fingers. Saitou was constantly whispering in the back of her mind, calming her and helping her to think rationally.

The vampire growled and hissed, vanishing from the window to beat at the door again. Though Saitou had helped her, her weak powers could not create a powerful safeguard and the vampire's constant beating had wore it off. Tokio backed into the furthest corner of her shop as the door rattled.

'_Saitou, hurry._' She whimpered, fear paralyzing her.

'_I'm coming sweetheart, we're almost there. Just hold on-'_

The door splintered open and the female vampire roared triumphantly. Tokio winced at the screeching roar and the sight of inky black teeth. The creature crouched, muscles bunching as she prepared to leap in and reclaim her prey. But just as her legs pushed off the floor, a sword appeared and wrapped around the neck of the vampire. Tokio skittered out of the way of the reaching, stretching arms of the vampire as Yahiko came into view at the other end of the sword. He grabbed sword point and tried to decapitate the vampire but the female's hands shot up and grabbed the sword before the blade could reach her throat.

Yahiko pulled, dragging the vampire out of the shop. "Tokio, get out of here." The vampire started biting the metal sword, denting it with her teeth and eroding it with her acidic saliva. Tokio slipped out of her workshop but couldn't run and leave Yahiko to struggle with the vampire. It was hard for the human man to keep hold of the naked, slippery flesh of the vampire as she struggled and chewed the sword away from her throat. Suddenly the sword snapped in half, having been gnawed straight through. The vampire whirled around, mouth splitting wide open and she dove for Yahiko's neck

Yahiko ducked, shoving his arm up to protect his face. Giant, black teeth sank into his flesh and Tokio screamed as Yahiko's blood gushed from the wounds. Yahiko swung the ruined sword out, catching the vampire across the neck. Acid-like blood and maggots sprayed in a violent explosion but the vampire continued to chew on Yahiko's arm. Tokio ducked, curling herself around the baby to protect it from the rain of blood. She braced herself for the shower of pain but it never came, instead a weight settled over her, protecting her. Tokio popped open her eyes even though she already knew who it was.

Kenji's smile greeted her as he back away. The clothes on his back smoked as the vampire's blood burned through them to sear into his skin. But behind him Saitou rose like a dark powerful force from the forest. He slammed into the female, sending her flying away from Yahiko. The man fell to his knees, clutching his wounded arm to his chest. Kenji placed himself between his sister and the snarling vampire, refusing to leave her unprotected, even to help his human uncle Yahiko. Tokio spotted Saitou, the vampire moving quickly to climb on his back and grab him by the hair to yank his head back, dangerous exposing his neck.

But Saitou was able to reach back and pull the female off of him. He wouldn't take his time with this one. This monster use to be a poor human woman, her soul lost in a body that was no longer hers. His mission was one of compassion, destroy the body and free the human's soul to her rightful place in the afterworld. With her in his arms in front of him he gave his arms a twist, snapping her neck. The weak, newborn vampire instantly crumpled, but was still struggling as her body immediately started to heal itself.

Tokio winced at the sound of neck bones snapping and gazed wide eyed and horrified at the sight of the female, her head now dangling on her back below her shoulders, still trying to fight her lifemate.

'_Look away.' _

Saitou's voice demanded and Tokio turned her eyes to the baby in her arms as more crunching and screaming filled the air.

Saitou drove his hand up to the forearm in the vampire's chest, ignoring the claws scratching at his face. His fingers wrapped around the shuddering, rotting heart and he pulled. The woman switched tactics, now she gripped his arm, trying to keep him from pulling her heart out. Her mouth hung open uselessly as her head bobbed on her broken neck. Saitou refused to let her suffer more than necessary, it was his duty to the female to end her pain. He wrenched the heart from her chest and shoved the screaming vampire to the ground and he threw her heart in the opposite direction. Quickly the air started to crackle as he called down lightning. A blue-white bolt shot down from the sky and branched into three. One bolt hit the vampire, one her heart and the third hit his upraised arm, burning away the acid blood before it could do more damage to him.

Toxic black smoke billowed up from the pile of cinders that was the vampire and her heart. The inky blackness around them lifted and Saitou turned to find Aoshi and Kenshin bending over Yahiko and Kenji trying to console Tokio.

Tokio looked up to find Saitou suddenly at her side. They said not a word, but they didn't have too, they could feel each other's fear and relief. Saitou gently took the baby from her and together along with Kenji, they used their weak healing powers to completely heal the infant. Her lifemate then sent the child into a restful, dreamless sleep. Saitou transferred the infant to one arm as Tokio sagged against him.

'_I was afraid.'_ She said simply.

'_I know, sweetheart, so was I. Forgive me for not being by your side when you needed me.' _

'_It's not your fault.'_ She turned to see Aoshi in a white transparent form, her father kneeling at Yahiko's side. "Will Uncle Yahiko be alright?" She asked, shocked that her voice was smooth and steady when she felt she was about to crumble to pieces.

Kenshin looked up. "The vampire injected Yahiko with tiny parasites when she bit him."

"What does that mean?" Kenji voiced. Sounding no better than his sister.

"Aoshi is destroying them as we speak; this means that this woman was created by a master vampire. She is a newborn and shouldn't have such powers, but she does. Her creator must be an ancient vampire."

"He created this female on purpose." Saitou growled.

Kenshin nodded. "A diversion maybe. To keep us busy."

"But for what?" Kenji demanded, but Kenshin could only shake his head.

… . . …

Hours later the baby was returned to the human family he was snatched from. Every member of the family had their wounds healed and their memories erased. The men fixed the house to look as if nothing happened. As the sun started to rise, Saitou whisked his lifemate to their house and into his underground lair. Her emotions were jumbled and her thoughts bounced from one memory to another, trying to put the pieces together.

Saitou waved his hand and candles scattered about the room flickered to life, sending calming scents in the air. He used his power to make his lifemate's clothes dissolve away and was replaced with a clean, silky soft nightgown.

"Saitou?" Tokio blinked up, not seeming to care that he had undressed her and redressed her.

"Yes lifemate?" God she looked so vulnerable, still a child in his elder standards. Her large lilac eyes were wide and unsure. Her small body visibly trembled and she just let herself fall into his embrace. "What is it lifemate?" Saitou tried to make his voice as soft and as soothing as he could, but wasn't sure if it came out more like a growl or not. Fear for her life had flared his need for her all the more. But he refused his beast until he was sure his mate was well.

"The vampire that made that female one…how will you catch him? Do we even have an idea where he could be?"

How he wanted to lie, but being her lifemate, it was impossible. "We haven't a clue as to where this vampire might be, or what he was trying to hide that he would create such an abomination. He might be trying to travel, or smuggle something or gather more of his pawns together. All our attention was focused on this tool that he had created."

Tokio pressed her face in the hardness of his chest, trying to hide away from the face of the monster and the poor baby she had to rip from her grasp. "I don't ever want to see another female vampire again. Even if they don't turn into child eaters."

"You were very brave for saving that baby. But Tokio, you must swear that you will never do such a thing again." His heart swelled with pride for his lifemate, and shuddered in fear.

"I can't." She sighed into his chest. The beast in him prowled under his skin, snarling to be let free.

"I know, but you understand that I had to try." He offered her a smile.

Tokio's stomach fluttered. Now that Yahiko was healed and safe, and the baby and his family was safe, and the female vampire destroyed, she was able to let herself relax and Saitou's peace offering smile took her breath away. She could feel the unrest pressing just under the surface…he was holding himself back. He had been holding himself back this whole time, and she felt horrible for it. What if something horrible had happened to her with that child eater? What would have happened to Saitou? She didn't want to think about it.

Instead she wanted to think about how her body fit into his like a perfect puzzle piece. How his hands were slowly tracing patters on her back, how his heart matched hers beat for beat and how her own beast was slowly pressing forward to touch his. The thin barrier of their skin was all that held the ancient beasts back from one another. It was a strange thing, feeling the animal inside of her, the pressure as it tried to force itself to the surface and make her change form.

"You didn't seem that upset, that I threw myself into danger like that. The old Saitou-"

"The old Saitou didn't have trust in his disobedient lifemate." He smiled down at her. "Don't get my wrong; I was seeing red when you left the safety of your father's home to help that baby. But in hindsight, I know that it's part of who you are, a female, protector, savior. You couldn't help but try and save the child." His hand combed through her deep red-black hair, watching as it flowed perfectly between his fingers. He couldn't fight himself any longer. Claim her now or fall to her feet begging. Tokio gave a choked giggle at the vision, her face still pressed against his chest.

"I'd like to see that."

"Hush you." Saitou growled menacingly, knowing it was lost on her. He scooped her up, and climbed into his bed. His lips fluttered, whispering in his mother language and instantly his torn and dirty clothes fell away, and her nightgown pooled on the floor.

As Tokio felt his weight settle over her and his lips found her neck, heat gathered and pooled low in her body. She felt she had to say something, anything and the words gathered and left her mouth before she even knew what she was saying. "I'm sorry."

Saitou kept trailing kisses down her neck and across her shoulder. "For what lifemate?"

Tokio covered her eyes with her arm as emotion rushed forward hard and fast. "For refusing your claim." She couldn't imagine refusing him now. She had been so angry, so cold to him.

Saitou pulled his lips from her skin and propped himself up on one elbow as he gently pulled her arm away from her face. Red tears glittered in her eyes. "Hush, sweetheart." He used his thumb to wipe her tears away as they welled up from her eyes. "The person I am today is different from the person I was the moment I claimed you. I would have refused me too. The important thing now is that you've accepted me. That I've become worthy of you."

She nodded, emotion lodged in her throat, keeping her from talking, but Saitou knew just what she wanted to say.

"If you had not accepted my claim, I couldn't touch you." He let his free hand drift across her bare flesh, making her tremble. "I could not bond with you the way lifemates need to." His voice smoothed, grew husky and his hand drifted to touch every part of her now offered to him.

"We'll, it's good that I accepted you, huh?" Tokio offered him a smile and Saitou's smile was dazzling.

"Yes, sweetheart. I'm honored that I earned your acceptance. It hasn't been easy." He kissed her then, a gentle kiss that soon grew in strength and stole her breath.

Tokio laughed, "It hasn't been easy for you? It hasn't been easy for me." Memory of the past few days seemed like a blur that all ran together, so much had happened in such a short amount of time. "But," Her eyes lowered to her hand tracing the lines of Saitou's chest, feeling his heart beat under her hand. "I couldn't do anything else but accept your love."

* * *

A/n Why did I end it there? Well, I always viewed Saitou as being a really private character. And this story was a glimpse into his life but I just couldn't bring myself to dive any deeper into his life than I had to. You may flog me if you wish, lol.

So what of this master vampire? Well we may see him again, we'll just have to wait and see. It did feel like such an abrupt ending. But remember this story was meant only as a little side story to the main series.

Speaking of, I hope to see everyone back when I post Aoshi and Misao's story. Endure My Love. Fair warning, I'm rating it an M story. Mostly for swearing and violence. I should post it in the next two or three weeks. Just as soon as I get the first chapter just the way I want it.

Thanks for reading everyone, Reviews are loved!


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